Zootopia and Earth: Gotterdammerung
by Pudong
Summary: As a covert bureau of the Zootopian Government comes into contact with an unworldly entity known as the "humans", wicked intentions among those in power arise, but before long things quickly begin to fall apart. Nick and Judy are soon caught up in the crossfire, but how far are they willing to go to protect the city they love? Will the consequences be too much for Zootopia to bear?
1. The World at Stake

**Chapter 1: The World at Stake**

 _ **45 years before the Movie**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2017**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 1971**_

 _ **Location: Highway Zoot 01, suburb 200 miles away from Zootopia.**_

 _ **Time: 3:25 am**_

The heavy rain scratched against the column of limousines as they raced against time, their tyres screeching along the deserted highway. The only illumination emanated from their blinding headlamps, lighting up the otherwise silent and deep dark moor more than 200 miles away from Zootopia. To the untrained eye, the convoy would seem as if they were a train of ghosts at a distance, an apparition of unearthly lights dancing in the darkness for a split moment before disappearing once again. But such was not the case. The limousines knew well where they were going.

The wind howled and clawed at the unwelcome visitors, raindrops the size of golfballs unceasingly splattering all across the windshield-even the wipers were practically useless in defense against this terrible weather. If one hadn't known better, they would almost have thought the sign was a premonition from God Himself.

Inside the lead limousine, the buffalo crossed his legs and stared out of the window, the lonely moor contrasting drastically from his comfy, heated apartment. He was by far the most important mammal the city had ever seen, worshipped and respected wherever he went.

But his world was at stake-panels of bulletproof windows and the bulwark-like doors on his limousine testified to this.

Soon even his friends might become deadly enemies.

The prominent visitor checked his watch, the hundredth time he had done so during the 30-minute trip. Bogo had specially ordered for the express highway reserved for them, the very reason why the convoy was speeding well beyond the highway limit. There was nobody to apprehend the most powerful mammal on the planet. The face on the wristwatch showed it was two minutes to three in the early morning, supposedly the time when death decided to strike at its strongest. It was truly the darkest hour.

The mayor grimaced at this little thought before banishing it to the depths of his mind, soon to be forgotten. He had more important things to concentrate on.

The driver who manned the wheel, a well-dressed panther donning a chauffeur's cap, whispered something into his mouthpiece and announced something over his shoulder to the important animal. Normally such rudeness against the Leader was intolerable, but road conditions made a special exemption.

"5 minutes to the launch zone, sir."

The mayor nodded and checked his watch for the final time. It was 3:05 am. They still had a few hours before sunrise-their last opportunity of redeeming the ever-imminent crisis. The bull trembled silently, his mighty figure quavering inside his heart. It might be their only chance to succeed, to prove to his city that there was still hope in the future.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

A chain-linked fence appeared out of nowhere, and the lengthy convoy skidded to a halt. On better days there might have been a steady electric current running through the barbed wire, but at the moment it only stood haplessly silent. Somewhere high above in a sentry tower looming over the barrier, a guard flicked a switch as the gates slid open, its rusted hinges screeching deafeningly. As his vehicle jolted towards, the mayor vainly hoped it might be his final time entering the facility. He had failed too many-it was time for his redemption.

The narrow twisted road snaked down the slope, completely hidden to but a few. The vehicles bumped and jolted as they passed the dilapidated track, spraying up water gathered along the roadsides until their brakes hissed angrily, announcing the final stop of the company. As they approached, they could gradually make out the ghostly silhouettes of smokestacks and steel beams, emerging almost unrealistically from the mist.

A mighty compound rose eerily from the wasteland, ubiquitously enveloped by a fog that unceasingly plagued the moor-even with the fantastic glare of the searchlights, penetrating the smog was still a nearly impossible feat.

The mayor stood out of his vehicle, the drizzling of the rain a consistent music to the cacophony of the institute. A bodyguard hurried over, an umbrella held high over the mayor's head. The buffalo nodded at the officer, who politely handed him a towel to dry himself off with.

"The politeness isn't going to last much longer it this fails," he thought gloomily to himself.

He and the others on his team were ushered into the building, a gargantuan mixture of concrete, steel and glass. Lukewarm cups of coffee were distributed, and the Buffalo took a little sip of his as government scientists finalized their preparations for the presentation. It'd better be interesting- _ **the demonstration**_ was what everyone only wanted to see.

A petite armadillo with a hunched back hobbled onto the platform, comically clearing his throat to attract attention. The other scientists smoothened their lab suits tensely whilst exchanging nervous glances-they all knew very well the facility, let alone the demonstration, had never been successfully tested..

"Uhh...a sincere good morning to our dear mayor in the backseat…"the old researcher stuttered hoarsely, his paws fumbling with his reading glasses. The crowd burst into applause, vainly disguising how pathetic the attempt seemed. The atmosphere was so tense that it could have been cut with a knife.

"As we know," the scientist straightened himself and took a look at his clipboard, "Our city has been facing extreme climatic changes of late."

The officials nodded in approval, even though the fact was already glued into their minds. They knew clearly how close the public was to finding out for themselves, lone explorers trekking to the borders and noticing how cold or hot it had suddenly become. The rain for example, was not supposed to happen at all.

"It's been taking too much energy to maintain the climate walls of our city. We live on an exhausted planet. Records show how the original fossil fuels, the ones we should have inherited, have long since been vaporized for unclear reasons. We have been forced to rely on other things, hydroelectricity, solar energy...even the nuclear rods we have found contained out west!"

"But it seems as if our fate has been destined. Our solar farms have faced extreme climatic changes, impenetrable dark clouds covering where there should have been light. It is far too risky for us to expand and maintain our existing hydroelectric facilities," He lowered his voice "We all know well what happened at the Burrows 10 years ago."

The mayor rubbed his forehead vigorously, trying to forget the memories of what had happened to the hydroelectric station. Even after a decade, his scientists had no explanation for why the largest dam ever known to animalkind had been constructed on an unstable tectonic fault. It was no coincidence, no accident that it had collapsed, exposing the industrial centre to the unforgiving waves of the huge reservoir. The casualties had been astronomical, so staggering that even Bogo himself had had trouble comprehending the numbers.

 _ **The death of one is a tragedy-the death of a million is a statistic.**_

"That incident alone resulted in the loss of 50% of our total electricity generation." he concluded, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

"There, however, is a saving grace."

"In the past 2 decades, under the instructions of the dear mayor Mr. Julius Bogo, we have successfully located and detected a vast amount of Energy-14 under this very piece of land. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the ground you're stepping on now is home to millions of years of geological development, eventually producing vast amounts of this clean and reliable fuel source, sufficient to power the Earth for centuries...even for millennia!"

"The only stumbling block appears to be the method of harvesting the energy source. It is extremely prone to the atmosphere in our environment, and tends to escape when in contact with the very air we are breathing in. Until very, very recently there has been no way to utilize such a powerful fuel, the very source which can solve all our energy shortages."

"Perhaps stress on our organization was all that was needed. With the problems of over-population looming ahead, it's difficult for us not find a way out. But finally, we have succeeded. There is indeed a way, to harvest the famous Energy-14 and use it without it being evaporated by the atmosphere."

For the next 15 minutes the mayor resisted the urge to go to sleep as the scientists droned on and on about their work. It was barely possible, yet indeed true that they had drilled holes into vast pockets of Energy-14 hundreds of metres below the Earth's surface. How they managed to keep it contained was a marvellous feat. The huge pipes made of the strongest steel extended from the pockets to the surface, transporting massive amounts of the extraordinary gas to just below the surface in specially built vaults, ready to be deployed when ready. Then the reactors and generators came next, the brainchild of the team of scientists working hard for the past 5 years. They had hastily finished building the reactors and generators which had specially been adapted to use for the mysterious fuel, according to the hypothetical assumptions and predictions by the research team. On the whole, the project was just a massive gamble. There were numerous risks, the overheating of the generators, the possibilities of vast amounts of gas breaking through the containment chambers...but the desperation they faced was enough to blind them from danger, their sole motivation towards.

The room dimmed and the officials and scientists trooped out of the room and down the hallway lit by dark red emergency lights, heavily guarded by ZCID sentries. Despite his gloomy look Mayor Julius Bogo was excited, his heart beating faster than it had ever before. He was going to witness the greatest feat of modern science, their lone hope of salvation. A heavy iron door slid open, and the guards saluted as the prominent company entered the observation chamber. A dozen scientists stood behind their computer screens, scribbling frantic messages and completing their final checks. The mayor strolled leisurely over to the observation window, the reinforced model designed to deflect explosive impacts. His eyes followed the flurry of movement below the chamber, squads of guards and teams of researchers working under the blinding neon lights, huge stores of the last remaining stocks of petrol in the world standing next to them, apparently feeding the lights and generators.

"Please don your protective goggles, ladies and gentlemammals. This is going to be spectacular." Dr. Schiff announced from behind his computer monitor, haggling with several others of the computer team.

The mayor walked beside them and tried to listen to snippets of their conversation. It didn't exactly please him.

"Impossible" one exclaimed.

"Won't surprise me if the damn thing explodes."

"Where's the fastest way out of here?"

And throughout all that Dr. Schiff was trying to calm them down, to assure his inventions would never fail the mayor's expectation. Bogo sure wished that he would live up to his promises.

"Honorable guests!" Dr. Schiff yelled from his seat, "We have finished our final checking! Please be aware that the next procedure is going to take 10 minutes. We're afraid that the amount of electricity produced by the Facility alone, combined with the others in the area, is sufficient to cause a major blackout in the metropolis if not coordinated properly. In a few minutes, the other power stations scattered around the metropolis will stop generating electricity, and our Facility alone will begin functioning for the first time, the Energy-14 providing enough power to the city on its own."

The engines and the mechanisms hidden within the building began to roar, the vibrations so loud that the mayor thought the world was going to end. Over the din of the gas being rushed up the pipes into the reactors he could yell yelling and frantic orders over the radios. What was going on? Several members of his staff also looked confusedly at each other, unsure what to make of it all. Doctor Schiff swore under his breath, and quickened his typing on his computer. A few moments later he picked up the receiver on his desk, and his face turned deadly pale.

"The reactors!" he cried, "They are overheating!"

The rest of the researchers ran to their computers, typing in frantic commands.

"Sir! Reactors 3 and 4 have been damaged! Vast amounts of Energy-14 are leaking out!"

"Seal up the area! Use the containment door! It's not too late!"

"But, sir! The personnel...the guards inside...we cannot close the door, sir!"

And it was true. From the tiny images from the computer he could see dozens of personnel running around blindly, some already collapsing from the effects of the smoke. Mayor Bogo sat on his chair, unable to move or to speak.

"Close the damn containment door!" came the command.

Almost crying, the scientist slammed her paw onto a red button, sealing the fates of those trapped inside. Dr. Schiff, apparently shaken, tried to take control over the chaos.

"Lyson! Datrick! Abort the command! Close off the Energy-14 supply!"

"Sir! None of the other reactors are responding! The generators have been severely damaged! Tons of Energy-14 is leaking out!" he pointed down into the room, separated by the thick layer of glass. Smoke was rising, and Bogo could see huge quantities of gas he presumed to be E14 gushing out from the ground, the pipes long since broken.

"Abort the operation! Seal off the pipes! Turn on the emergency vault isolation system!"

"None of the engines are responding sir!"

The receiver rang again-the news was even worse. The power had been cut off in Zootopia, and the ZPD was already calling the government offices, demanding an immediate explanation. Worse still, the huge amount of energy released had led to a massive destruction of the energy lines, burning out the remaining power supply to the metropolis. It would take weeks to re-open the ones from the old power stations.

"Shit!" the scientist screamed. He checked the screen. The temperature in the room had risen, the reactors 3 and 4 long since burnt out. The vaults had given way, the steel doors holding the gas in buckling under the immense pressure. Reactor 1 was still barely holding out, the mechanism overheating so much that it was going to…

"OUT! EVERYONE OUT!" his cries had barely reached the mayor's ears before Reactors 1 and 2 exploded, spraying heat, ashes and broken glass into everybody's face. There was darkness in the room for a moment, before the sprinklers and the eerie glow of the emergency lights kicked in. There was the omnipresent screaming and groaning of those wounded. The mayor opened his eyes to see members of the team lying in pools of blood, their faces badly cut by the shattered glass. Others were being helped out by the sentries, wiping off their wounds. Bogo could taste blood on his lips, and his arm hurt like hell. Dr. Schiff was whimpering behind his table. It was all his fault. The stupid liar should never have been part of the project!

Mayor Julius Bogo was storming over to the cowering scientist when something in the room below him caught his eye. The heat was very nearly unbearable, the room already devastated by the explosion. But there was still something else. The storage tanks of petroleum, designed to provide energy to the lights and everything else to keep it moving, had caught fire.

The mayor used his muscular arms to push everyone out of the way, sprinting across the hallway. The emergency lights and klaxons wailed in warning. A few other sentries and officials saw him and joined the chase, not daring to stay behind for any longer. Julius tried to ignore his wounds and recall which way he had come to the facility. His legs buckled under him, but a guard hoisted his arm onto his shoulder and charged over the final few metres of the hallway, slamming open the door to the exit just as a huge explosion rocked his ears. A huge fireball rushed down the hallway, incinerating those still inside. Julius and the few others with him moved out of the way at the last second, the sweat slowly dripping from his forehead. As he stood up woozily he could smell the scent of burning, as well as that of petrol. It was immensely hot, even hotter than the scorchers in August.

Julius looked all around him, the survivors cowering in fear. He could see his old limousine blown onto its side, the car doors detached by the impact. Everything had been destroyed-the only thing unchanged was the rain, the water sizzling in contact with the fire.

Julius said nothing as the one dozen remaining members were hurried onto a waiting jeep, the engine already running. He took no notice of the panic around him, the scores of ZCID putting out the fires and dragging out survivors from the debris. Heck, it would take billions to get the facility working again. The pipes were twisted and bent, the reactors blackened and malfunctioned. But he knew they would never work again, the surviving scientists already starting their status quo reports.

On the journey back to the city, Julius stared into the rising sun and wondered what his last job in office might be. They needed a cover story, the swearing to secrecy for everyone who witnessed the explosion. He paged his secretary and told her everything needed. But who was to be trusted anymore? In this new era, promises were as easily broken as glass.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The situation report arrived a few days later, and a meeting of the leadership was summoned.

Enough was enough.

The mayor decided that it was to be the last meeting he was ever going to hold while in office. It was time to step down.

The few important officials trickled into the room, a recently-promoted wolf taking the seat of the vice-mayor, him having passed away recently in the "gondola crash". Even Bogo was shocked by the gullibility of his own people. Sure, there were investigations into the safety of airship designs, and the "wreckage" found at the site, but nobody ever wondered how the rest of the Cabinet could have survived, having fallen from hundreds of feet above. And rumors didn't count. There were minor protests and demonstrations, but Julius paid them no heed. He knew his people well. No matter young or old, big or small, they all shared one common similarity: Animals were all fickle beings, gifted with a short-term memory designed not to last. He understood just after 3 months, the "gondola crash" would be everything but remembered.

The professor cleared his throat and announced his report. It was going to be brief.

"Ladies and gentlemammals." he began, addressing the tiny crowd. "With the full-out investigations coming to an end, we have concluded that Operation Dawnbreak has been totally devastated. The loss of machinery has run into the billions, the money being taken from the people's pockets for the past 10 years. The incident also resulted in a terrible loss of life, both for the ZCID and the Government."

"However, there is still hope. In retrospect to the deployment of E14, a squad from the ZCID, sworn to secrecy of course, has successfully located an abundant amount of uranium, enough to cater to the city for 100 years, just a few miles before the borderline. Entity X45 has also been found, seeming to be an ancient remnant of a onc…"

The mayor held up his paw for silence. The scientist stopped abruptly, awaiting what the bull had to say.

"Is it possible, I mean, under these circumstances….to actually open the border and...I mean...could it be justifiable?"

Everybody remained silent. What their leader had proposed was absurd, the direct violation of the ordinances laid down so many generations ago. It was taboo. Unacceptable. The mayor sank back into his chair, depressed at the reaction.

"Nevertheless," the researcher concluded, "We have successfully blocked the massive flow of Energy 14, and the huge amount of energy seems to be safe for now. The underground pockets have been temporarily sealed off. Our ZCID officers have already confined the scene. The cover story has concealed everything else. Everything is tightly under our control."

The mayor nodded and signed the report, the conclusion to a brief yet fatal failure. The meeting was adjourned. His back hunched, the massive bull strode out of the office. He still had much to do to prepare for his resignation.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The scientist had left out something, something that the government had no inkling of whatsoever. It had been deliberately concealed, destined to be the greatest secret of Zootopia for the following half century.

Unbeknownst to anybody else, the gigantic amount of E14 released at the facility, under such strenuous pressure, had actually punched a hole into the space-time continuum. A few of the scientists even suggested the exciting possibility it could lead to another time, another dimension. It was the lone secret of the city shrouded in darkness, only revealed to the few whose only intention was to take advantage of it. The scientists could imagine a whole new world, full of resources, somewhere far into the future. Their only job was to decipher the weakness, to release so much energy at once again that the wormhole could be utilized, the tool to send their personnel anywhere they wanted.

Dr. Sturmer surveyed the wreckage from the safety of his gondola, the courtesy of the ZCID. There had already been talk of disbanding, the remaining servicemen banding together to work for his cause. He knew if used correctly the portal could be a terrible weapon, one capable of destroying the city….or saving it. It was all his choice, being the top surviving scientist. He had learnt a lot from Schiff, the gaining of power, retaining it….he had long since possessed those abilities. Finally, the opportunity had come. He didn't care if it took years, decades….he would be the one to complete this endeavour, to deploy the E14 for his own purposes. He just needed the resources.

A stout leopard walked up to him, saluting stiffly.

"The new mayor has approved of ZERB (Zootopia Energy Research Bureau) Do you wish to confirm commencement of the Project?"

The answer was swift.

"Commence Operation Gotterdammerung."

"Why the unusual name, sir?" the guard couldn't resist his curiosity.

"It meant the downfall of the gods….in ancient parts of the world."

But what Dr. Sturmer and his people didn't know, were the consequences of their actions. Perhaps he should not be blamed. It came far too late for them to realize, almost half a century too late.

He also didn't know something else.

It was the story of Christopher Columbus and the Indians.


	2. A Multinational Venture

**Chapter 2: A Multinational Venture (Prologue 2)**

 _ **11 years before the Movie**_

 _ **Zootopian Date: P.E (Post Evolution) 2054**_

 _ **Earth Date: A.D. (Anno Domini) 2005**_

 _ **Location: Xi'an (**_ _ **西安**_ _ **), Shaanxi Province, China.**_

 _ **Time: 6:08 am**_

The fleet of heavily-armed military helicopters swept over the city at high speed, retreating further westwards as the rays on sunrise advanced on them. For now, the city still relaxed in the safety of the darkness, the numerous skyscrapers still shrouded in the fading remnants of night. Occasionally, a passer-by or a worker would poke his head out from one of the stamp-like windows among the millions clustered in the metropolis, and wonder what the heck was going on in the sky above their heads. On board the metallic birds were representatives and diplomats from virtually every major power both East and West-Japan, Korea, the United States, Germany, Britain….almost every single one of them was accounted for.

Of course, the Chinese officials among them amounted to twice as many as all of the international reps put together, sitting proudly in their seats. They were clearly enjoying the miracle they had created back in the 1980s, having transformed a backwater little town into a sprawling mass of concrete and steel, home to more than 8.5 million.

There was an obvious difference between the local officials and the foreigners on the helicopters, flying dangerously close in tight formation as they veered into the airspace of the silent countryside. The foreigners, their blond and brown hair mixing among the masses of black, could barely keep their eyelids open, the effects of jet-lag finally kicking in. Many of them had flown non-stop for more than 24 hours, being flown into Beijing, Shanghai or directly into Xi'an from their respective capitals many hours earlier. Their weary hands firmly clasped their hard-earned cups of coffee, as if they were paranoid someone was going to snatch it from them any minute.

"You see, gentlemen." Premier Xi announced into his headset, his slightly-accented English reaching the ears of his Western counterparts squeezed in other transports, 'For millennia China has always been leading in aspects of food, cultural and technological advances, the local products and climates so desirable that countless envious envoys from foreign nations," he coughed comically to send his point across, "were and are still willing to spend whatever they have to get their hands on this considerable piece of treasure."

He grinned, the other prominent officials with him smiling in return. The pride they took in the discovery was immense, almost irreplaceable.

"However, what we have found is extraordinary, extinct in practically every other part of the world. Some of you may even call it poppycock, as I have learnt from your language of English. Yes, it is shocking and unexpected. Even I, when for the first time learning about the results of our experiments disbelieved in such rumors….until the truth of these tests was confirmed."

The diplomats from the other nations snapped from their fatigue to wonder about what the Premier had just said, perhaps the very reason they had been ordered by the very top to arrive in China without any delay permissible. Some of them had already been briefed about the rumors, their feet subconsciously tapping in excitement as they moved centimetre by centimetre to the test zone.

"Indeed, my friends, we have been facing an energy crisis everywhere in the world. We developing countries are suffering the worst-the consequences of our opening-up policy are already showing, gentlemen, as you may have noticed the smog in Beijing. But what we have found may be what ends it all. " he savoured the last word.

The Premier stopped talking as his helicopter, the lead one in the formation turned and glided over the rice paddies stretching into the horizon. Xi daydreamed with the thought of combining nation-wide production with the discovery….China's GDP would just boom in the space of several years! He had every confidence that it would succeed….with 7 billion human beings on the planet, it was going to be hard not to find anyone with the technological knowledge to accomplish the endeavour.

The chatter in the other helicopters stopped immediately as the representatives stared outside the bulletproof windows of the PLA (People's Liberation Army; in other words, the Chinese Army) vehicle, their breath misting the originally crystal-clear surface. Almost out of nowhere, a huge mountain appeared, the lone landmark in a never-ending field of crops and greenery. Several dozen miles from it there stood a huge man-made plastic cover, covering a huge landmass somewhere to the west. Hundreds of small buildings dotted the region, each surrounding the huge canopy. The Terracotta Warriors, another of China's miracles over 2000 years ago. Yet, even the "8th wonder of the world" was no match for what they had recently found.

Japanese Foreign Minister Asami Shunsen stretched his neck and gazed at the huge mountain beneath the helicopter. As a student of Chinese History in high school, he instantly recognized what the structure really was, and why it had been built 2 millennia ago. Unlike most of the other reps he had a vague idea of what was going to happen, and at least he knew the mountain was actually artificial, a relic of a massive tomb of the ancient Qin dynasty that claimed the city of Xi'an as its capital 2000 autumns earlier. It always helped to research before one began a project. Moreover, his organization still had more plans for him. He needed to be patient.

The dozen helicopters ground to a halt and hovered over the land site, the area next to the Mausoleum having been sealed and closed off to all civilians once the entity had been located: The few villagers living there had long since been relocated to a nearby town. Squadrons of military helicopters were parked on a piece of flat land levelled a few weeks ago, accompanied by even more elite PLA troopers. Chinese armored cars and APCs casually dotted the surface, their machine guns drooping lazily like some sort of dead insect.

The ground controller from his week-old tower signalled and transmitted a message to the pilots-the helicopter pads were clear for landing. Giving out one last burst of energy, the metal birds spiralled and headed for the ground, their pilots aiming accurately where to land. There was no more room for error. The rotors of the helicopters kicked up a sandstorm as they touched down, spraying the PLA guards standing nearby to escort the officials with dirt and mud. After what seemed like an eternity, the engines finally died down and the soldiers moved towards to slide open the armour-plated doors. The international and local diplomats came stumbling out, their eyes painfully adjusting to the bright light which had finally overcome them.

Premier Xi's lips couldn't help grinning as they were escorted into the Chinese version of a Humvee, the Dongfeng EQ2050 and with the grumbling of the motors were driven to some sort of compound.

He had taken every precaution to protect the site. Heavily-armed squads frequently patrolled the region while surveillance flights took off every two hours. The area was closed off to the public, huge warning signs written in Chinese and English advising citizens not to venture any further. As the sand from the tires obscured most of the view from the windows, Xi thought of all the action that must be going on. It had been several weeks since teams of his scientists had confirmed the existence of Helium-3 in the area, the mysterious energy source that was once believed only to exist on the Moon and in outer space. He, being a veteran student of science, of course expressed his disbelief at such an abrupt discovery in the beginning. But over time, as different government sent out more and more teams of talented and qualified researchers to investigate the area, there was no more use in denying the truth.

He himself had read their reports to him, and each one of them boasted that the amount of Helium-3 present was sufficient to feed the needs of China itself for at least 120 years. And to imagine it was all beneath the surrounding fields of green!

The company was ushered into a luxurious conference room, almost out of place in the otherwise drab and ordinary compound they had seen from their jeeps. Most of the more fatigued ones immediately plumped themselves onto the uncountable black swivel chairs in the room, only wanting to get everything over and done with. Plates of breakfast, the dishes varying from rice to pancakes, were distributed hurriedly by the dozens of waiters trooping around everywhere. More and more cups of instant coffee had been flushed out, the steam for the deep black liquid mixing with the air in the room until it became no more. The diplomats and foreign representatives could resist the temptation no longer. They tucked in ravenously as if they were hungry wolves, some of them not even bothering to use their cutlery.

Premier Xi watched on in amusement as his counterparts gulped down their refreshments. A tiny piece of buttered bread had been put in front of him, but he wasn't especially hungry-after all, he had already eaten on his way from Beijing only a few hours earlier. He checked his watch impatiently, a heavy chunk of stainless steel on his wrist. The official subconsciously tapped his own foot annoyedly for 5 long minutes, until he decided that he wasn't going to wait for them to finish. Who knew how long it would take for them to be full?

He stretched his long legs, covered with one of the finest trousers a man in his country could buy, and strode confidently onto the tiny podium that had been specially set up for him. He didn't even bother to wait for the lights to dim. They did, of course, the technicians signalling wildly at each other as they saw the 2nd most powerful man in the country glaring at them coldly. The Premier coughed comically and tapped almost annoyedly on his mike, calling for the audience's attention.

"My friends," he began, his wrinkled hands finding a hold on the stage. "It has been 7 long months since we have located the Entity, the mysterious fuel source that is enough to transform our country, our world, in the space of several years."

"The world as we know it may be facing extinction. Humanity may have been losing in a desperate struggle with nature, destined for failure regardless of how relentlessly he fights. But now, " he smiled, his perfectly white teeth glimmering under the spotlights, "Man has triumphed."

"The Chinese are not a selfish race. We share with each other the fruits of our success, and it is our turn to offer the Western World what we have at our disposal. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you….the salvation of Humanity!"

The technicians at the back turned on some sort of projection device, a large and weird looking diagram shining almost arrogantly on the wall. It seemed like a map, the characteristics of the fields and the Mausoleum easily identifiable. But beneath all that, was a fantastic chunk of land highlighted in a brilliant blue shade.

"Honorable guests," Xi continued, "What we have identified here under our province of Shaanxi, under our own invaluable Mausoleum of the famous Qin Shi Huangdi, is no other but the fuel source of Helium 3. I'm sure you all have heard others name the Terracotta Warriors the 8th Wonder of the World-but this energy source is another wonder in its own right. "

Shunsen nodded silently in understanding, his lips forming into a sly grin. So that was the reason why the Chinese Authorities had been so hesitant to answer the call of enthusiastic scientists waiting to open up the tomb of the First Emperor. The fuel source had probably been lying under there for millennia.

"The first reports came to us in 1985, not long after we had commenced the Opening-up Policy and Reformation. At first, our institutions had been too occupied with their conventional work to pay much heed to such unfounded rumours. However, as more and more researchers travelled to the scene, it became hard not to believe that this area holds the presence of Helium 3 itself. They came from different nations, from the United States to our own local investigators-all the while, the energy was hidden deep under the surface, just waiting for us to mine it out."

"'But that's impossible!" a man sitting in the front row objected with a heavy French accent, "Helium 3 escapes from our atmosphere extremely easily ….there may be no way to move it, let alone mine it!"

"My dear Monsieur, the United States has already agreed to provide the funding for the research of mining equipment, as well as the distribution of this source when mining is deemed successful and complete. The amount of money already gathered from your governments around the globe is way more than enough to commence this project. Moreover, our own professors at Qinghua have just telephoned our facility that the mining of Helium 3, at least the hypothetical methods of it, have been proven by scientific research. And in the United Kingdom," he nodded at the representative, "Mining equipment has long since been assembled, awaiting a transport vehicle that can accommodate its size and weight."

"Herr Premier," a woman at the back demanded, "Has this news been received by our own federal organizations? Has it been legalized in your country….or around the world?"

"Mein Liebe Freund, kann ich Ihnen erzählt nur, dass alles bereit ist. ( _My friend, I can only tell you that everything is ready)_ Yes, the reason why you are here is not to debate the possibilities of the commencement of this project, but to sign the documents for your respective countries. The final vote shall be held tonight. I have every confidence that this project shall save us from the energy crisis that has continued to cripple us ever since the turn of the century. We shall prevail."

He turned off his mike. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That is all I have to say."

 **~16 hours later ~**

The Premier stood at the head of the table, the representatives hurrying to their seats with one or two translators following tightly behind them. The international conference was about to commence, the decision that was going to change the world waiting to be approved...or denied. Xi played with his thumb nervously as he awaited for the wall of TV screens at one end of the room to flicker and show the faces of the world leaders, preparing to converse with him at the same time from all corners of the globe. He coughed anxiously, and smoothened his attire for the final time. It was a few minutes before eleven in the evening. He was ready.

At exactly eleven o'clock, the dozens of screens attached to the far side of the room zoomed into life, the faces behind them professional and deadly serious-yet, even the Premier could sense tinges of excitement overflowing from behind each of their solemn masks. They had been informed at the G20 months ago, their voices then hushed and anxious-to be fair it wasn't very much different even now, their eyes unceasingly glancing all across the room, paranoid that there might be someone out there to steal their secrets.

"Greetings, my friends from around the world. Hello, Ni hao, Bonjour, Guten Tag, G'day to every single one of you. I'm sure you all are just about as excited as I am to get things started, and as such I shall commence the procedure as soon as I can. As you see before you in your screens, the diplomats you have sent to China are sitting right here in the conference room, awaiting your orders with finite patience. It would be terribly impolite for us to inconvenience them, so it is for our best interests to begin immediately."

"We must go on with the vote. I see every one of our 22 leaders are present-excellent. I shall be voting on our president's behalf, who is unavoidably detained on business in the capital. You have 3 choices, or buttons as you may notice on the device in front of you. You are allowed to press any of them, but only once. I'm afraid you're only permitted to make once choice. You may vote for Yes, No, or Abstain. On the behalf of our Motherland, for the well-being of our civilization and for all of such in the world, I hereby vote "yes". I'm very sure which choice you all are going to make. Let's delay no more, ladies and gentlemen, and may us all make a choice we never will regret."

The vote was over in a little more than 3 minutes. Of the 22 participating nations, 21 had voted for "yes". The only major power who abstained was Italy, its financial crisis much urgent than an endeavour which required it to spit out more money than it could afford. Yet the Italian president had been obliged to vote for "Abstain", rather than to shame his country's pride by being the sole one to disagree with the decision of the diplomatic corps.

"Then my friends, we are settled. Here, on the behalf of our country I express my gratitude to you all. What we have decided here may change the fate of our world forever. But as you all know, the mining of Helium 3 comes at a price, though already much cheaper than sending repeated missions to the Moon."

"We are asking for contributions from around the world. Your diplomats may already have noticed the compound and mining sites being built by the PLA. Our professors at Tsinghua University have already arrived, their methods of extracting Helium 3 proven to be usable and scientific. Your countries, too, can provide resources we desperately need."

"We still need scientists, machinery, and security personnel in addition to the units of PLA we possess at the site. 4 hours ago I received a message from the British convoy with the mining equipment. It had set off 5 hours earlier and is due to arrive here in Xi'an by Wednesday morning. I am confident the equipment will work perfectly. And most importantly of all, we lack funding. The UN has agreed to sponsor 50% of our total expenditure, but…it has proven to be insufficient. " the Premier bit his lip.

"Mr. Premier," the American president addressed the Chinese man, "The United States is more than willing to sacrifice 1/7 of its annual income for this cause. This has been approved by the Senate for all I know, Mr. Premier. We Americans are eager to cooperate with you on this matter. Even I alone can't change their choice if I wanted to."

"Like that could ever happen." the Premier replied jokingly, "Nevertheless, according to the latest news from our leader President Zhou, the United Nations has supervised and approved the establishment of the ICED, the International Coalition of Energy Development, an organization which every major power present shall actively participate and invest in. Those who refuse to uphold the signing of the agreement shall be thrown out of the Coalition, effective immediately." he smiled sinisterly.

"The major governments shall be the ones in charge of this endeavour, and fortunately not some notorious and corrupt private business. Let us waste time no more, ladies and gentlemen, and may the signing of the document begin."

Instantly the representatives from all the 22 major powers all signed on the agreements written in their own languages on behalf of their countries, skillfully guided by the ushers.

As Shunsen hesitated, he thought of the opportunities the Project could present to his country. He was known within his Parliament as the Tiger, despite his short stature. He was infamous for his ambition-the Tiger had plans for his country, and he was going to realize it. But for now, he was going to be patient. It never paid to let your enemies know what you were up to. And so he smiled and signed the document, automatically confirming Japan's participation in the ICED Campaign.

The ICED was finally formed, a rare united collaboration between all the major nations on Earth. Perhaps it was true that humanity would only come together when faced with crisis.

At exactly 23 hours and 25 minutes, Operation Atom officially began.

 **6 days, 15 hours later**

Premier Xi mumbled and put on his old-fashioned steel rimmed glasses, his mind still groggy from long hours of sleep. Why had his superior been so insistent upon calling at such a horrible time? He only hoped that it was going to be worth his attention.

Slowly shuffling his feet and moving out of his tiny apartment in the compound and along the corridor, he wondered if he had been such a good choice to volunteer and supervise the construction 24 hours a day. He had barely gotten any sleep in his assigned quarters, the air too warm for his liking. His body had long since outgrown the type of wooden bunks he had slept on 30 years ago when he still served in the military. On top of all that, there was always the cacophony from outside the compound, all the machinery assigned to different spots in the excavation site racing to locate the Helium 3. They were still working vigorously right now. What time was it? Didn't these people have to sleep?

The several technicians on duty greeted him as he entered the room, the hullabaloo from the site still vibrating in his eardrums. He motioned one of them over, who hastened his footsteps and turned on his monitor. Xi could never master using these weird devices, their mechanisms always succeeding in eluding him.

The operator raised his thumbs up-the president was coming online. The Premier tapped his foot impatiently, just wanting to get over with it and back to sleep. He envied the dozens of diplomats who had left 5 days ago, their simple mission already accomplished. He still had so much more to work on.

The screen flickered into life, and Xi immediately saluted to attention, his fatigue ignored for a moment. The President nodded at him and asked him to take a seat. President Zhou was on the screen of his monitor, his face creased with wrinkles. He was well past his sixties, his actions slow and deliberate. Yet his ways of hiding his age was magnificent, and if one hadn't know him better they would have thought he was no more than forty years old.

"Good morning, Mr. President." Xi greeted his superior in Chinese.

"You too, Xi. I hope my call didn't interrupt you too much."

His politeness began to annoy Xi, but yet he continued his smile, the fake one that he had mastered to perfection during his political career.

"No, not at all. I'm honored, extremely honored to converse with you at this time of day." he lied.

"Good. As you know, the Americans are becoming impatient."

Xi gulped. He had been expecting this, but never so early. He had painstakingly dismissed the most recent reports delivered to him, finding them unproven complaints. There was no doubt that Helium-3 was somewhere under Xi'an! He could swear his life on it!

"Sir, we just need more time, I believe that…"

President Zhou held up his hand for silence.

"There has been no Helium 3 found under Xi'an."

And the President was correct for now. The team had been digging continuously for 106 hours, ever since the equipment from the UK had duly arrived at Xianyang Airport. Xi just needed more time.

"Sir, sir, I can explain…."

"Don't worry, Xi," the older man smiled, "You don't really think I'd call you in the middle of the night just to chastise you, do you?"

"Uh, no sir, of course not." Premier Xi laughed nervously.

"I would have, to be perfectly frank with you. Operation Atom cost billions and billions of dollars donated by all the nations of the ICED, you know. Think of all the things everyone has selflessly given us in exchange of Helium-3! Privileges, personnel, additional security forces…..we must not fail them at this point."

"But we have noticed something. The sole reason why our sensors indicate a presence of Helium 3, but yet have yielded nothing even as we reached bedrock level."

"The massive amounts of additional energy being transferred to this region have caused our reactors and sensors to pick up something in the facility, something hardly believable even using the principles of modern science. Here, in Xi'an, we suspect a wormhole of sorts, an actual portal between two separate dimensions or eras...maybe even more. We still have no idea how it was formed. It could have been here for 2 millennia right next to Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb, or it could have been created just a few decades earlier. Nobody knows. The only fact we know for sure, is that there has been a hole punched through the continuum, similar to a glitch or flaw of sorts in the system. It's like a jailbreak. Scientists from Washington have already located the weakness point, or as we call it, Entity P. What they have discovered is shocking, perhaps even incomprehensible to you and me."

"Their sensors detecting for Helium-3 indicated such high quantities of the energy source right outside the weakness point that they nearly malfunctioned. Yes, Xi, I see the surprise on your face. Our initial suspicion was that the portahad been created recently by some sort of energy transfusion activity, which generated so much additional energy in an instant that the operation immediately disintegrated. There must have been attempt to mine the Helium-3 on the other side of the wormhole. But it seems that they have failed. However, they were successful in creating this glitch, the only flaw in the brick wall that divides our worlds. It is not quite strong enough for direct access, though. We yet need more energy, an insane amount that our power stations cannot afford to generate. That energy could be used to provide power to punch open the hole, make it strong enough for sending even organic material and cargo through."

"The fruits of our success will be huge. Helium 3 has been confirmed to exist on the other side!" the President's once hoarse voice now grew strong, the valiance in his youth once again returning, "The foreign nations have already put towards several methods, contributing valuable information and research teams to the cause. They are doing their part. We must thus do ours."

"I am ready, Mr. President." Premier Xi announced.

"We are going to build a Nuclear Power station right next to the facility. We are going to import all the nuclear fuel rods we need, possibly from the entire country or maybe the entire world. I believe that the Americans, too, will be willing to assist in such a breakthrough. Such an endeavour will change the course of our history forever."

The Premier saluted once more, announcing proudly, "Chairman Mao built for us New China, while Comrade Deng has set for us a path that will one day lead us to prosperity. It is now our generation's turn to take the helm of our world, our fate. With our own hands, we shall open a new page in China's 5000-year history!"

And they did. But not in the way they had envisioned it to be.


	3. Interdimensional Contact

**Chapter 3: Encounters of the Interdimensional Kind (Prologue 3)**

 _ **At the same time as the Movie**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2062**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2016**_

 _ **Location: Cliffside Asylum, Zootopia.**_

 _ **Time: 1:09 am**_

It was well past midnight when the lone limousine silently slid into the tiny parking lot, several wolf guards already scrambling over to open the door and show the mayor around. The car door lined with extra armour for protection bolted open, and a tall, muscular lion in an expensive suit emerged from the comfort of the vehicle apartment. His name was Lionheart, the first predator in the city's history to be entrusted with the title of mayor. He was now the most powerful mammal for miles around. The sheer delight of the amount of power he had at his fingertips was enough to make him tingle…..he had the power to make anybody in the city disappear without trace(not that any citizen was to know about it, of course). The commander of the guard saluted stiffly as the gates opened, and the mayor was welcomed into the facility. The lion walked as vainly as though he were the main actor in a play, not casting a single glance at the dozens of minions swarming around him.

This wasn't his first visit. Lionheart was exactly the one who had authorized the confiscating of the Asylum and adapting it to government means…..turning it over to the very institution devoted to researching the unknown, the ZERB. Sure, their original goal had been to research other things, but their massive amount of resources and personnel meant that they could easily adapt to any form of work that was destined to be firmly concealed from the public eye. He was well aware that the guards accompanying him at the moment, save the few he had brought from his urban office, all belonged to the ZERB, instead of other organizations such as his trusted ZPD. He knew Bogo dearly, and had been friends with him at a young age due to their father's close connections. Yet he was still not prepared to tell him everything he knew, everything the city had kept hidden from its people.

He secretly pondered whether if the ZERB was becoming a threat. He understood perfectly that they were an independent governmental organization, perfectly capable of functioning on its own. Moreover, the ZERB still possessed a huge amount of money accumulated from the decades of taxpaying, the huge quantity of resources so willingly devoted to the development of Energy-14 by the government itself. Yet after 45 years, what had become of the project? Even Lionheart himself merely had a vague idea. What the ZERB was messing around with he almost had no hand in.

His thoughts continued to overwhelm him as he proceeded into some containment room, observing the dozens of savage predators chained behind the extra-thick glass as if they were some bizarre exhibit in an exotic carnival. Deep down inside his heart, the mighty lion began to tremble. He was tampering with things he should not be touching. When was his turn going to be, being one of the most prominent predators in the city? He had already tried his best to update his security measures, never letting the media show him in public, recruiting taste-testers etc….but all these cures did nothing to kill the nervousness that was chained to his conscious.

He became increasingly annoyed with the doctor, his stammering turning into some sort of unwanted and unnecessary buzzing of a distant insect. Out of the blue, he just snapped, unable to bottle in his emotions anymore.

"Enough! I don't want any excuses, doctor, I want answers!"

"Please, Mayor Lionheart, we're doing everything we can."

"I ain't see nothing but your stupid power reactors out west! Seriously, when was the time you guys did something useful?"

Little did they know a certain sly bunny and dumb fox were videotaping everything they said.

The next thing the mayor knew was that he was being hustled out of the room, his guards forming a shield all around him and yelling something frantically that he was uninterested in finding out. An assassination attempt. It had to be. He long since had access to the real information of what had happened to the previous others…

"Security, sweep the area!" the doctor ordered on his radio.

The doors on his limousine slammed and before long his vehicle was kicking up the dust of a highway miles away, finally a safe distance from the Asylum. He sighed and wiped his brow. He was positive he had heard a few beeps next to him back in the containment facility. What had it been? Was it the time to consider the ZERB a threat more than an asset?

Back in the safety and comfort of his office, Mayor Lionheart was just trying to finish up a few more reports on his computer before going off to bed when one of his express phones rang. It was a private number. Nobody but the ZERB and a couple of others had any knowledge of it. He groaned as he picked up the receiver.

"Yes? Have you got my answers yet?" he demanded rudely.

"Sir? This is Project Gotterdammerung calling. We just received reports of an assassination attempt in the containment facility, we…"

The mayor swore under his breath. Operation Gotter-whatever-rung was killing the profit he earned. In the past few years it had become more of a liability than of an asset, a project he could no longer place his faith in. Would it be too late to take action, to terminate this pest which hindered his path onto wealth and fame?

"Don't tell me something I know, private. I was just going to bed when you losers interrupted me. Finish your business and leave me in peace."

"Sir, it's the power lines. We're doing another demonstration in 15 minutes. This time should work."

"You mean you're mining the Helium-3 again?"

"Uhh….yes sir." the private on the other end chewed on his paw. Good soldiers should not be lying to their superiors.

"For your personal safety we advise you not to attend, sir," he continued, "Just sleep tight with your guards. There may be a power cut a few minutes later. I'm merely saying that it's perfectly normal in the procedure, sir, it's been expected and the power should be up again in a jiffy."

"Damn, ZERB, you gotta get it right this time."

"We definitely will…"

"Or before you know it I'll send my guards over and smash up whatever shit you've got in that foxhole!" He slammed the phone down furiously.

Above him the lights to the office flickered and dimmed. Mayor Lionheart shut off his computer and decided to call it a night instead. He did not intend to mess with whatever shit the ZERB was coming up with….it was just an obstacle in his career.

Before he could do anything the huge doors to his office slammed open. Dozens of ZPD officers swarmed into his office, tranquilizers raised and pointed at him. What the hell was happening? Come on, where was the respect he deserved? His guards stood next to him protectively, their paws already on their holsters.

Mayor Lionheart motioned for them to not to resist, and went willingly towards the guards. It wasn't going to take long.

 _ **~300 Miles Away~ (Power Station E-14)**_

The panther put down his phone in shock. It wasn't the first time the mayor had threatened to close down the project, but for some reason it felt the most realistic. He...he was nervous for his future, for how the government and mayor would react to what they had been building in the facility all along.

He was the son of one the earliest generations of the ZCID, the investigation group beholding even more power than the ZPD. As his father died, all the knowledge of the Incident and Project Gotterdammerung had been passed down to him. He had been welcomed into the ZERB'S circle, fresh new blood to be used and relied upon. He was now doing things he could not even tell his wife….they were actually trying to open a portal! A wormhole to possibly another dimension, or even another time in the distant past or future.

He rubbed his temples, trying to banish the mind-boggling facts that always bothered him. Their scientific knowledge of the world was primitive, barely sufficient to understand how all the existing power of all the power stations in the city combined could be connected together and used to increase the transparency of the portal, the condition needed in order for anything to be transferred interdimensionally. As one of the project's scientists he knew the portal was only 15% open in terms of interdimensional transparency, only 3% more than what it had been 20 years ago when they turned to the development of the portal instead of mining the Helium 3.

He put on his radio headphones and listened for his orders. In a few minutes, they were going to unlock the power and energy lines from the city to the facility, disabling all electrical functioning in the metropolis and instead transferring all of the energy to feed the ZERB's needs. It wasn't safe of course, to negotiate and even reveal their existence to either other government institutions or the public. So they had just sent teams of engineers to alter the lines slightly, adapting them to their own use little by little. It was fully ready by now.

Their mission was to increase the transparency of the portal to at least 30% tonight, enabling a long-term foothold on the wormhole. This was the initial part of the Project that they had envisioned for so long. Radio messages could get through by 35%, solid matter by 55%. Organic matter had to wait all the way up to 75%, and inevitably use up a massive amount of energy for every transfer. Naturally, they also had to wait for the safety of the wormhole to be confirmed-The panther smiled to himself, they could always find some test subjects though…

He had carefully calculated the amount of energy they needed. Without any assistance in the form of power from the other side, the entire amount of electricity generated by the power stations alone was barely enough to send the transparency up to 35%. What really was tempting to the scientists was that, the electrical current leftover was still sufficient to keep the portal running for an indefinite amount of time.

The scientist looked at his screen. The countdown had begun. The numbers began to flash before his eyes. 10, 9, 8, 7...he shut his eyes and waited. Project Gotterdammerung rested on this fateful moment.

Energy began to trickle from the city to the power station. The panther watched on as he monitored the amount of energy passing through the power lines to the reactors. It was a carefully-controlled procedure, observing extremely strict protocol. Everything had to be just right-they were careful not to let too much energy go through the channels and break free of their grasp. Nothing was allowed to go wrong. They all knew even a slight mistake was enough to deem the entire experiment a failure.

The energy accumulated was building up, and there would soon be enough to increase the transparency. The scientists watched in awe as what they had planned on paper decades ago became true before their very eyes. It had taken decades for the ZERB to reconstruct the facility from top to bottom, restructuring and expanding what the power station had been before the Incident 45 years ago. They observed in silence as their computer screens showed them the newest data from the generators, automatically commencing the transparency increase. Everyone held their breath. At this point, the reactors were either going to hold on and work successfully….or explode exactly like 45 years ago.

The entire hall cheered in joy as the screens showed the change in the portal's transparency-it was growing slowly, percent by percent. The reactors had held successfully.

Dr. Sturmer, now aged and wrinkled, watched on from the balcony, the ghost of a smile growing on his lips. His legacy was just beginning. There was still much more to come.

 _ **Xi'an, China ICED Research Facility A.D. 2016**_

The late-night controller stifled a yawn as he counted the long seconds till dawn. He was one of the few still on duty in the "weakness point" containment chamber, the others all as tired and sleepy as he was. His computer screen was forever linked to the ever-constant data of the portal-transparency, stability….he was sure nothing had changed in the past 5 years. Damn, he couldn't even switch the computer system to Weibo and search up something interesting. It had taken 4 years for all those "brains" to come up with a hypothesis, an equation of how a massive amount of energy generated from the nearby brand-new nuclear station could cause a breakthrough in the space-time continuum, enabling the transference of radio waves, solid...or even organic matter.

Of course, it all had to wait. The wormhole had just been confirmed, known to only the best of the country's scientific elite. There was naturally a huge logistics challenge, of how so much power could be acquired and safely used to increase the transparency and stability of the portal. But still nobody had questioned the Chinese Government when they suddenly planted the giant of a nuclear station out of nowhere, the residence of at least ¼ of the world's nuclear fuel rods. That was a damn lot of fuel. However, they had been told the Helium 3 waiting on the other side was enough to put the number of fuel rods to shame.

Assistant-Engineer Zhao Feng was just about to stretch his legs and buy another late cup of tea from the canteen when something flickered on his monitor. His first thought was that it had been another quick alteration of the wormhole stability, which always varied on the time of day. Sometimes it was even safe enough to send through organic matter….provided that they could amass enough energy of course. But curiosity soon got the better of him, and he planted himself once again unwillingly into his swivel chair and did a quick check through the portal data.

"Temperature, check. Humidity, check. Stability,average, Transparency…." he muttered in Chinese as he ran his eyes through the newest analysis. "Transparency….27%?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. Had he been drinking too much tea lately? He pressed the refresh button on the screen and waited impatiently for it to load. Zhao then rubbed his eyes and hurriedly scrolled down to where the transparency figure was located. His jaw dropped open, and his pair of pupils widened greatly. It was true. The transparency of the portal was increasing itself.

It was gradually growing, perhaps by one percent every 5 minutes. He knew clearly that wasn't the work of his institution….all the nuclear generators were still turned off, unused and clean. If so, what had been the entity that was powering the wormhole?

There was only one possibility left. Zhao had always dismissed it when his colleagues mentioned it to him, but one of Sherlock Holmes axioms immediately came to mind.

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

His hand instinctively reached for his walkie talkie, hardly used nowadays apart from the occasional obscene banter or so. This time, his fingers flicked the channel switch to "Exclusive", the highly secretive one that was connected directly to Central Command and was reserved for emergencies only. Well, he thought, this definitely is something worthwhile.

He pressed the speak button and his voice instantly reached the loudspeakers of Central Command, one of the numerous rooms in the huge facility. The fatigued workers looked up, interested in what Zhao had to say.

"Guys….I think we may have just found something, I mean someone on the other side."

 _ **~18 hours later~**_

The portal containment room was crammed full of scientists from all around the country, clipboards in hand and asking each other the most unanswerable questions that absolutely nobody had the answers to yet. Zhao found himself at the center of attention, his workplace crowded and swarming with the country's top elite lining up just to interrogate him about the night's events over and over again.

"Are you positive that you saw the transparency level going up?" a huge bald scientist had demanded of him impatiently.

'Yes, sir." Zhao replied. 'I'm 100% sure I saw the levels going up."

"Can you show us the data please?" a petite, young lady spoke this time, "I'm the Chief Engineer on the site. I'm quite confident the transparency was still 25% the last time I checked, the exact same as 5 years ago when we had first started."

Zhao shrugged. 'See for yourself." he turned the monitor over to the flock of curious researchers.

The transparency level had definitely changed. It was still going up 4 hours ago, then it had abruptly stopped and failed to climb higher. Maybe the entity on the other side experienced a major power failure….it had a certain high risk of blowing up. Yet the increase was tremendous. It had changed from 25% to 33% in the space of 4 hours. The amount of energy they had used must have been unimaginable!

The chatter grew, the number of confused voices increased, and soon Zhao found himself swarmed by even more scientists, some of whom he had often seen being interviewed on CCTV, the state television. Before long, he couldn't take the interrogation any longer, the millions of voices cramming themselves into his mind. He was just strolling away from his desk to leave the room when the entire containment facility was plunged in silence.

President Zhou strode in, his face even more powerful than it had been portrayed on television. His presence seemed to fill the whole room, even though he was only about 5 feet 7 inches in height. Instantly the room exploded into applause, the scientists delighted to see their president and leader amongst themselves. The president waved at the crowd for a few moments before raising his hand for silence, as if he were a conductor conducting the symphony of an orchestra.

Over the next half hour Zhao was continuously questioned by the president and the rest of his staff, who nodded their heads and wrote something down whenever the young engineer mentioned anything. He had concluded early on that the irregular bursts of energy from the other side had been artificial and not natural, the frequency having being recorded by the sensors implemented near the portal. It was also believed by the Chinese Government that the entity which caused the increase of transparency was a civilized race, similar to or even more advanced than Earth in terms of technology.

Humans have always been afraid of the unknown. This occasion wasn't any different. There was almost immediately a heated debate in the room, an argument on whether the development work on the portal should continue. The scientists had been much in favor of mining the Helium 3, having been exposed to the real effects global warming had on humanity and on the environment. There might not be an Earth to protect if they did not seek actively an alternative source of fuel, possibly sufficient for even a century's use.

The PLA, on the other hand, had different views. They insisted that the entity on the other side might cause a security problem to the People's Republic, and whatever race that possessed enough technological assets to develop such a wormhole must be advanced enough to pose a threat to the well being of the nation. The PLA representatives complained that more units would have to be sent to the facility to safeguard the portal, which would soon cause unwelcome attention from the public.

The argument might have went on if the president had not ordered for the work to continue. Zhao listened in pleasure as his leader decreed that researching for obtaining Helium 3 was definitely worthwhile no matter in any means, ordering directly that additional PLA units be sent in to the site to protect the equipment and personnel from whatever entity that lay on the other side. The generals accompanying him reluctantly agreed, and excused themselves briefly to make telephone calls to Beijing.

So it was decided. The nuclear power plant was to be thrown directly into service the next day, the workers selected from various power stations all over the country. The president also agreed as a compromise with the military to demand peacekeeping units from the UN, in addition to the troops the PLA was sending in. Before he left for the airport, Zhou had entrusted in Zhao to successfully lead the operation of the ICED, and personally promoted him to one of the leading scientists in the scheme. Zhao couldn't have been more honored.

But there were still problems to be solved. How would they communicate with the entity, once the portal was stable enough for communicating? How would they react to humanity's existence? Was there enough power generated in the nuclear facility to power the portal? Well, the hardest parts of the project had already been completed by the entity. It was time for them to do their part. It shouldn't be hard to power the final percentage to allow radio transmissions.

With a huge responsibility now on his shoulders, Zhao set off to work. He still had much to complete before daybreak.

 **~4 Days Later~**

"All power lines functionable and awaiting transfer, sir!" the engineer announced as the team did their final checks on the reactors. The nuclear power station was fully operational now, the fuel rods being fed through at a tremendous rate in order to feed the hungry generators used to power the portal.

Zhao looked through the recently-installed bulletproof glass into the containment chamber, where the weakness point had been located all those years ago. It was finally ready, awaiting impatiently for his commands. Communication experts sent by the ICED had already developed a type of communications device, a machine capable of sending and receiving radio waves interdimensionally. Provided that the aliens understood their language, which was extremely unlikely under the circumstances. Meanwhile, sensors had been set up close to the weakness point (WP), extremely powerful mechanisms that were capable of sensing body heat and radio signals from the other side.

Different representatives from the ICED nations had already been flown in, working on various logistics and scientific challenges presented to them by the endeavour. It had been decided at the start that more information on the other side was required for the quest to continue. Thus half of them had set off to work, almost without rest, to develop a type of stealthy unmanned probe, complete with cameras and devices to possibly extract specimens. These inventions only seemed like fantasies in Zhao's mind.

Slowly, the energy from the nuclear power station was channeled through the 10 major pipes, still brand-new and clean despite being constructed over 10 years ago. Everything had to be brand new for this to work, a nearly impossible feat in the terms of even modern scientific knowledge. The squad of researchers had their eyes glued onto their monitors as the generators accumulated the electricity, waiting until a sufficient amount had been stored up. Zhao knew if anything went wrong right now in the programme, the reactors might burn out...or even worse.

He could scarcely keep his eyes open as the energy level reached the desired amount. His trembling hands reached for the bright red lever covered by a glass lid on his desk. Hesitantly, he flipped over the lid and pulled the lever. There would be no turning back.

He sighed in relief as the energy accumulated gradually began to react with the portal, the WP shimmering behind the glass. There was probably tons of radiation behind the bulletproof material right now, the containment technology barely strong enough to keep it out. The dose inside the chamber was possibly even lethal, and would need to be cleared out before human access. But that would have to wait.

Clicking on other buttons, Zhao authorized the full commencement of transparency increasement. The generators came to life and processed the massive amounts of power already stored up, unlocking the wires that would allow them to react when in contact with the WP. It was all a gamble. Would this endeavour, only a hypothesis recently proved on paper, be possible in real life?

 _ **~Power Station E-14, Zootopia~**_

"Sir! Something's changing!"

The panther looked up from his magazine to see the PV (Point of Vulnerability) shimmer, the surface of the portal reacting with huge amounts of energy. Hastily his paws ran through the energy processing data-who had authorized the sudden transfer of energy? Without strict protocol, the reactors were undoubtedly going to blow up! The portal might even be devastated, and the only flaw in the system would resume to normal. His mind was in full-blown panic mode, one of his paws reaching for the "Abort" lever. The rest of his staff gasped and pointed anxiously at the portal locked down in the containment chamber, the radiation indicators going off scale.

The panther instantly knew something was not right. This was not the type of energy they used.

Over the next 5 minutes, he confirmed with the Energy Authority in the facility that all the power lines to the power stations outside the city had been blocked, save the few that brought electricity for the facility's personnel use. He was confused, bewildered even, of where the energy had come from.

He recalled of the experiment they had gone through with nearly a day ago. It had been partially successful, proving that the reactors _**did**_ work and the energy generated was enough to react with the wormhole and stabilize it, even though the major power failure last night forced the ZERB to temporarily abort the experiment and wait until enough energy had been accumulated once again. Meanwhile the portal transparency had merely been increased to 35%, not even enough to send radio waves through. There was still a major problem looming ahead of them.

Suddenly an idea clicked on Chief Engineer Taylor's mind. He opened the recording of the sensors, the devices devoted to measuring how much the transparency had increased. He could see the transparency was rising steadily, already 5% higher than where they had left off. What forces could be at work? His own certainly weren't responsible for it. In a few minutes, the wormhole had stabilized considerably and the transparency had already reached 40%.

The risk and danger of radiation leaking out caused enough panic to throw the entire place into frenzy. The emergency alarm had been triggered, announcements made from the klaxons carefully located all over the compound. Different calls had been placed to various units of the ZERB within the facility, the squad of scientists apart from Taylor being fully evacuated. The research compound was in full lockdown, no vehicles being allowed in or out. The orders continued to squawk through his radio.

"Order in the 1st Containment Unit! Report immediately!"

"Who the hell authorized the energy transfer?"

"Get everyone the hell out of here! The radiation is going off the scale!"

These frantic commands continued to be transmitted unceasingly until Taylor decided to turn off his wireless. Couldn't they see everything was actually fine?

Fortunately for the scientist, the reactors didn't buckle and the radiation was firmly contained inside the chamber. More and more guards in primitive radiation protective suits stormed in, yelling orders at everyone they knew. They were actually preparing to seal the place down. The panther knew the consequences of a leak. The entire area around the compound would have to be completely evacuated, the civilians taken to some other place for treatment. The facility had to be sealed off no matter what.

Then the truth hit him, the theory that he had listened to so many times yet had disbelieved every ounce of it. He double-checked the energy input of the generators. There had almost been none after the experimental failure. Had it been the leftover current? Impossible. The energy that remained wasn't even enough to raise the transparency by 1%, let alone by 15% more. Only one possibility remained….

There were creatures on the other side.

 _ **~Xi'an, China (ICED Research Facility) ~**_

All was going well. The research team continued to monitor the process in satisfaction as the energy gradually trickled through the power lines. It had paid off to have them replaced several months ago, with newer and improved equipment from the US that could take up and transmit at least 5 times as much energy than the last one. Unlike their counterparts in Zootopia, their nuclear power plant was much more sophisticated than any other in the world and was devoted to the facility alone, providing much more energy and power than all the Zootopian power stations combined.

Zhao continued his watch in satisfaction. On his computer screen he could see that the transparency had just risen to 63%, the surface of the portal continuing to shimmer endlessly. He really hoped that their anti-radiation equipment was strong enough to keep everything in. It just wasn't worth it to give everything up at this point!

"Okay! Enough! Stop the transmission!" he ordered.

Instantly the nuclear reactors stopped giving off electricity, the entire compound falling silent. Inside the containment area the WP continued to shimmer, the leftover electrical current sufficient to keep it open for a while. Zhao walked over to the main screen and checked the transparency meter. It had just reached 65%, sufficient for radio waves to be sent and received. Fortunately, organic matter could still not be transferred….just yet. The PLA units could wait.

The researchers held their breath as some of their colleagues turned on their sensors, the devices used to detect radioactivity and body heat on the other side. They had been fully turned off during the reaction period, lest that their functioning caused a disruption in the transparency. It was finally time to check for signs of life.

One of the men at the controller's desk threw off his headset and whispered something to the woman next to Zhao. She opened her eyes in disbelief and shock , turning to her superior.

"Sir," she addressed Zhao, "You've got to see this."

The duo walked over to where the operator was sitting. The short man at the table motioned for them to put on the 2 pairs of headphones prepared for them on the desk. Curiously, Zhao put them on to hear what had been detected from the other side.

What he heard would throw him into complete and utter shock.

" _ **Send in the 1st Containment Unit! Report immediately!"**_

" _ **Commander Sturmer, what's the status quo?"**_

" _ **The radiation levels are going off scale!"**_

He put down his earphones and stared breathlessly at his colleagues. What he had heard was delivered in clear English….in an American accent to be exact. He turned to the operator.

"What was that?" he demanded, "Was that from New York? From the downtown metropolis? What is it, man? Where did it come from?"

"From...from the other side, sir!" the man stammered.

"It's….it's impossible! They...I mean, we share the same language! How absurd is that?" The possibilities of that happening were probably one in a billion. Perhaps even more.

"It's the only explanation, sir." Unlike him the female was unnaturally composed, unusually calm, as if she had been dealing with cases like this for her whole life. "It's time we got in contact. We may even be able to obtain the Helium 3."

Zhao gulped and wiped off his sweat. Their confusion clearly meant they were as in the dark as humanity was. They probably didn't know another entity was trying to contact them either. He wondered if a negotiation could be undertaken, a deal to obtain the Helium 3 they needed. He pondered upon if force might be necessary.

He needed to know more first.

"Sir!" another operator announced, "We just detected body heat on the other side! There's at least 50 of them!"

"Run an analysis." he ordered, "let's see what they are carrying and wearing."

The Analysis was another new creation from the students in Beijing, a systematic rundown that could accurately picture what materials were present in the area scanned.

"Will do, sir"

The visual came up a few minutes later.

"They..they seem to be pointing some sort of weapon towards the WP, sir! There's an unidentified liquid attached to the weapon. It...it might be some sort of tranquilizer."

"Do we need to call in the PLA?"

"No." the word came in heavily from Zhao's lips. "They are probably as afraid as we are."

"Tell me, Doctor Song. Is it possible to send a solid object through the wormhole with this rate of stability and transparency?"

The woman thought for a few moments before answering, "It might succeed, sir...we just need to keep the reactors running, that's all."

Zhao smiled and folded his arms, creasing his white laboratory shirt, "Excellent." he muttered, "Bring me the ICS (Interdimensional Communications System) from Lab-4C. There's no time to lose."

Humanity was undoubtedly in a superior state. They knew fully what was going on, and had absolute control over the situation. Elite military units were already on the standby, ready to defend their world in case a conflict occurred. The Zootopians, on the other hand, were still bewildered and running around in circles.

Would a deal even be possible between the two worlds?

 _ **~3 days later (Power Station E-14, Zootopia)~**_

"What the hell is that?" Taylor exclaimed as he shifted the heavy, metallic object around in his paws. It had been extracted from the containment room a few hours ago, when the radiation was finally cleared and safe for mammal access. Still, the personnel and object retrieved had to go through the messy detoxification process, seriously delaying his research schedule. Didn't they know he was a busy mammal? They could have sent him the object directly through detox….he didn't mind dying as long it was for the cause of science!

He prised open the lid of the object. It was actually more like a flap rather than a lid, opening to reveal a keyboard-like tab complete with buttons in their own language. On closer inspection there was a glass screen on one side of the lid, similar to the ones he used on a computer. This device seemed like a small computer, one that could be carried anywhere instead of being attached at one's workplace.

Imagine his surprise when the sensors detected the transfer of a solid object! He had never considered the possibility of the existence of another entity on the other side, let alone one that possessed the technology to increase the transparency and send them objects! The civilization on the other side must be much more advanced, maybe even whole decades ahead of them. The arrival of the object sparked another debate within the research teams, whore were deeply divided over what to do with it. They still had no means of transferring anything back there, so sending a gift or returning the object was out of the question. The second option originated from the fears that the object was a bomb in disguise, one that had the capability to destroy the entire compound once triggered. Indeed, it was mysterious yet tempting, and Taylor had to use almost all of his own private connections to keep it in the area, as well as grant himself clearance to be the lone few to be allowed to tamper with it.

Now that he thought of it, the object did indeed resemble the appearance of a computer. It had a keyboard with fully functional Zootopian Language Keys on it, almost indifferent from the models they used. Taylor still had no idea of how the Entity on the other side had so much knowledge of their own civilization, sufficient to reconstruct a computer in their own language.

He turned the object over on his lap and tried to search with his hands any inscriptions written on the smooth hard material the device was made of. Soon his hands located several protrudes on the lower half of the 'computer". With extreme caution, he lifted the bottom of the device up to the light to be inspected.

"Made in China." it read.

Again, the message was in clear Zootopian. Where the hell was China? And how did the Entity know so much about their civilization anyway?

Unless, of course, they shared a common language.

As he explored the device he found a slip of paper, tucked between the lid and the keyboard. Carefully he pulled it out, keen to read what it had to say. He gently unfolded the parchment and his eyes bore into the words printed onto it, the words on it almost indifferent from how the printers and computers in his world worked.

He groaned in disappointment as he flipped through the first page, which was printed in some sort of illegible scribbles that he was quite sure no one in this world could decipher. He tried another page. To his delight it was written in his own language, printed carefully as if they had also used a computer. It was almost impossible for him to guess that the 2 worlds shared such uncanny similarities.

The paper turned out to be an instruction sheet, a carefully-written tutorial on how to operate the weird device. Another idea popped within the scientist's mind. Could it be that the object was a communications device? Were the Others trying to communicate with them? A million other thoughts exploded inside his brain, but he pushed them aside and concentrated on the piece of paper.

Half an hour later, he smiled proudly as the monitor flickered into life. It was at this moment that he noticed how similar the screen was to the monitors of his own world. He was flabbergasted, his scientific mind overwhelmed with the impossibility of events. Yet he continued on. It had already been hard enough to turn on the device, having to guess several terms such as "mouse". It had taken him ages to figure out it meant the miniature device that was connected by a wire to the object! For a while, he was actually tempted to order one of the mice from the lab up to substitute the job.

There was a tab installed onto the homepage, or so it was called. Using the "mouse" to navigate, his inexperienced paws clicked onto the only tab on the screen, marked with some scribbles and a clear Zootopian sentence:

"Messaging 通讯录"

His eyes could barely keep up with the speed the device processed things, the screen being thrown into some sort of app that resembled those he used to communicate with his friends and family. There was only one contactee listed on the page, named in scribbles. Thus came the last part of the instructions.

"Click on the contactee marked 赵博士 (Professor Zhao)."

Hesitantly he guided the mouse and left-clicked on the contactee. He was led into some sort of new page, extremely similar to the apps he used daily. It amazed him to see how much the Others had known about their civilization before coming into contact with them. Unlike his colleagues Taylor wasn't afraid, nor nervous for that matter. He was prepared to see whatever opportunities the Others might present him with, eager to gain any advantage he could obtain.

Should he type anything?

Before he could even make up his mind a message appeared onto the "messages" screen. It was in clear Zootopian, and not in the scribbles he had seen inscribed onto the first page of the instructions sheet.

"Greetings."

"Uhh….hello?" Taylor answered. The keys on the keyboard were on the exactly same spots as the devices he constantly used.

"We are the entity that helped you transparify the wormhole."

"You are the ones that increased it to 65%? Where did all your energy come from? How did it work? We have tried countless times already, with only partial success."

"Don't worry. We are here to help. All will be answered soon." came the reply.

"What do I call you? I'm not fluent in your scribbles, sorry."

The message this time was slower, and a bit ruder than the previous ones.

"You may call me Professor Zhao. Zhao Feng, to be exact. If we are to enjoy a pleasant partnership please oblige to treat our culture with respect. It's called Chinese, not Scribbles, although some of our people also share your language."

So the Others wanted to cooperate. Fascinating.

"Greetings, Professor Zhao. My name is Doctor Taylor Paulson, one of the leading scientists of the ZERB. I'm very much willing to work with you, as there is much we are distressed with."

"Thank you. I am the chief engineer of our own project, with almost unlimited amount of resources on our side. You know, we are very much interested in trading, especially in exchange for some of that Helium 3…"

The messages went on and on. Taylor tried his best to comprehend what Zhao had suggested. It would take them months, even years to finish their negotiations. But their fruits of success would be unimaginable. His father's wish would finally be completed, now only 5 years after his death.

He lifted the radio to his lips, the object forgotten temporarily for now.

"Sturmer? We've got a breakthrough."


	4. Nick and Judy

**Chapter 4: Torn in Some Places**

 _ **2 Years After the Movie**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2064**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2018**_

 _ **Location: Apartment 23H, Second floor, Prosperous Estate, 305 Mooseville Avenue, Zootopia.**_

 _ **Time: 5:30 am**_

The first fox cop cursed under his breath as he struggled to stretch his arm out from under the double layer of blankets, desperately groping the tabletop for his digital clock . Jeez, why did cops have to wake up when the sky wasn't even light? Didn't they have a night shift or something? Nicholas Wilde sat up and pushed the thick layer of cotton away, slamming his paw onto the snooze button. The ringing of the alarm ceased at once, allowing the tiny little bedroom to fall into silence once more.

Nick rubbed his eyes and forced his heavy eyelids to stay open. He took a quick glance outside of his apartment from the filthy little window overlooking Mooseville Avenue. Damn, it was still pitch dark out there, the usual bustle of the streets but a distant memory. He missed his old routine of being a con, waking up whenever he wanted, eating junk all day long….but yet the thought of being with his partner was enough to drive all those temptations away. Judy Hopps was one of the few that actually cared about him, shared her emotions with him, and was his only confidant in the whole wide world.

Summoning all of his energy, he stood up from bed, his legs still woozy from being asleep for so long. The cop pulled open the drawer next to his bed and grabbed out his watch, the precious little mechanism that had been his birthday present from the bunny. He would never ever allow himself to part with it, the best gift he had received over the years. Sure, it wasn't expensive, it wasn't designer brand-but the person who had given it to him was worth much more to him than any of those other brands combined.

He checked the time, the hands on the watch barely readable in the darkness. Crap. He was already 5 minutes late. What would Judy even say to him when she arrived 10 minutes later and saw him still naked all over, the morning breath still hanging around in his mouth? He chuckled a bit at the thought. Nick knew perfectly well how much his partner hated nudity.

But the thought of her getting mad at him was already sufficient to act as his motivation. Terribly anxious, Nick rushed into the bathroom and prepared himself for the long day ahead at the station with Ol' Buffalo Butt. Who knew what the psychopath himself had in mind for the duo that day? Like always, Nick knew it almost certainly depended on his mood.

But that never stopped him from pissing him off. It was simply too tempting.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

9 minutes later Nick found himself at the door of his flat, finishing the final inspection of his uniform before the bunny's arrival. He understood how picky and tidy she was towards him, telling him off jokingly when even a single crease was found by her vigilant eyes somewhere on his uniform. Did she really want him to be spotless that way? It just wasn't...well, _**him.**_

"Seems like someone's finally punctual today." a voice came from behind Nick's back as he was just locking the door to the apartment.

"Just another of those hardships I do gladly for you, Carrots." the fox turned around to face his best friend, "You know how hard it is for me to wake up."

Judy winked at him, a grin appearing on her face. "Okay, uniform check?"

Nick rolled his eyes sarcastically but let her pat him down anyways, enjoying the gentle touch of her paws on his body.

"Cap, check. Badge, check. Notebook and pen, check!" she muttered to herself as she searched from high to low, forcing herself to find at least one imperfection on Nick's uniform. One could say it was her favorite pastime these days, pretending to chew her partner off. It was almost as if she was his big sister.

"Officer Nick Wilde?" she suspiciously questioned the smug red fox in front of her, "Where's your watch? Don't you dare say you've lost it..."

Smiling, Nick raised his left wrist at her, the light in the hallway reflecting off the immaculate glass on the watch's face.

"Check." he answered with a smug grin.

The unlikely partners each picked up a sandwich at the fast food joint downstairs, the only eatery operating at this early point of day. As they walked from Nick's apartment to the station, the 15 minute walk seemed to pass by in moments as they talked to each other non-stop on the road, the only noise on the streets emanating from their conversation.

"Uh...Carrots? What's in your sandwich?" Nick asked Judy as he bit into his meal, a thin slice of salmon squashed between two slices of white bread. Ewww. Being expensive did not necessarily make something taste good.

"Mine?" Judy raised her eyebrow at him as she continued to wolf down her sandwich. "Wilde, is that question even necessary? Gosh, dumb fox!" she laughed.

"Eww, sly bunny, you're spraying out more crumbs and carrots than a harvester! Keep your mouth shut when you're eating, will you?" Nick drew back horrified, a mock expression of appellation on his face.

"Cut that out, you." Judy ordered as she delivered a cut punch to his arm. "I technically outrank you, you know."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course, sergeant."

Judy hopped up and ruffled the fur at the top of Nick's head. "Now that's a good boy. Now finish your breakfast." She had already thrown away the food wrapper. Damn, that bunny was quick! Nick mentally added _**eating**_ to his secret note of what bunnies did the fastest.

"Yes, mother." he groaned as he stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth.

The ZPD Main Station was the only building on the street to have its lights fully on, a lone beacon in the sea of darkness. As the bunny and the fox strode in the lobby, they could already make outthe chubby silhouette of the cheetah fervently digging his paws into another box of snacks, inhaling one jelly doughnut after another.

"Morning, Ben." Nick yawned as he greeted the cop. "Geez, don't you get tired from moving that jaw of yours so much?" he joked.

"Nah, at least not with these little dickens!" Clawhauser laughed as he kissed his last doughnut before stuffing it like the many others before it into his mouth.

 _ **How did he ever get through training?**_ Nick mumbled to himself as the receptionist dug into another plastic bag of delicacies.

"Umm, Judy? Are you alright? You seem a bit green around the gills, if you know what I mean." Ben questioned, eyeing the bunny.

"Uhh...yeah! I'm fit and ready for work!" she replied enthusiastically. While her voice seemed usual, Nick could notice there was something distinctly wrong with her.

That was to his trained eye of course.

"Great to hear that." Claw laughed, "Would hate to miss that lovable spirit of yours!"

Judy smiled but said nothing in return.

"Ummm, Carrots?" the fox whispered to his partner, "Is everything really alright?"

Judy stared at him confusedly, as if he had said the most ridiculous thing on Earth.

"I mean, don't...I mean, feel free to take a break if you're not really feeling well. I can cope for myself, trust me."

"Nah, Nick." she grinned, "the ZPD needs me. YOU need me. Who would type up our reports if I took a sick leave? And by the way, I'm great, honest."

Nick nodded anxiously. It had been over 2 years since they had started working as a team, and he soon found himself worrying and fussing so much over her. It was a hella lot of stress. But the fox always snapped to his senses and reminded himself that every moment he got to spend with her, take care of her was absolutely fantastic.

It was from pure love alone.

But which kind of love was it from? The platonic way you loved a friend, or the way one loved a….

"Psst, Nick? Nick?" the cheetah whispered urgently, "Come over here."

He beckoned for him to move towards him. Nick glanced at him curiously but did as he was told.

Once Judy was out of earshot, Ben leaned towards Nick's ear and asked excitedly,

"You doing anything with her tonight?"

Nick rolled his eyes. Every Friday morning, Ben unfailingly greeted him by urging him to go out with Judy with no exceptions. Well, he could see this week was to be no different.

Wilde sighed heavily, "Ben, I've told you for many times that we are _**not**_ dating."

The cheetah leaned down to the fox's height and whispered in his ears, "Courage, fox, courage. You gotta jump at the chance."

Flabbergasted, Nick spread out both his arms in hopelessness, "What do you suggest I do then, huh?"

The aroma of jelly donuts surrounded Nick's vigilant nose, "Take her to a movie, go shopping, get a meal at a fancy restaurant…"

Hmm….the restaurant idea was actually quite tempting. He was getting tired of those Furnace takeaways every night, not bothering to cook at home alone being the bachelor he was.

"See? I know you're thinking it over."

"It's unusual for partners in the force to _**date**_ , Claw. You've been here longer than I have." The fox came to his senses.

"You know you love her," all that came was a wink.

The fox opened his mouth in reply, but at that very moment it seemed as if every word was gagged down his throat.

"Uhh, Ben? I hate to disturb you guys, but…" Judy glanced over to the two males, impatiently pointing at her own watch, "It's about time for the roll-call. You wouldn't want to be late if you were me, trust me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ben stammered jokingly and gently pushed the red fox towards his partner. "Remember, Nick." he whispered one last time, "You gotta try it out."

Nick nodded reluctantly, and with a grimace on his face waved to Clawhauser as the duo strode into the roll-call room, reporting for the day's duty.

Ben sighed dreamily and muttered to himself, "I wonder if these two are going to work out JUST fine."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

6 minutes before the daily inspection by Chief Bogo, the bunny and the fox entered the room and amused themselves in their own ways. The meeting room was filled with mayhem, the other officers arm wrestling, chattering, and hollering at each other, combining together into a din of laughter and conversation. While Judy exchanged small talk with some others sitting next to her, especially the huge rhino who had grown close to her, Nick wandered around the room, not in loneliness but in hunt for victims whom he would prank and trick.

Judy couldn't help but overhear several of his "victims" welp out or yell in shock as she tried to engage in conversation with her newfound friends. What was that fox up to? She nearly rolled her eyes and sighed at him as he made it back to his seat, battered, exhausted but entertained. She could notice more than a few hostile glances thrown their way, accompanied with the suspiciously hushed gossip from the groups over at the other side of the room.

She turned to her best friend, "Nick, what was that about?"

"Me? What did little ol' me do again?" He just _**loved**_ teasing the bunny.

"I...I can't believe you kept your pranking alive even after 2 years. Seriously, with this in mind I don't blame them for mistrusting a fox cop."

Judy covered her mouth in shock as the reality of what she had just said hit her squarely. Disappointedly, Nick looked away, heartbroken by her rash comment.

She tapped him lightly on the shoulder, "Hey…. I was just joking y'know. I'd never say that to anyone, let alone you of all mammals."

Upon hearing that, a tiny smile returned to the fox's lips, "I know, I know- you're the only one who actually stands up for me."

"There'd be more if you stopped pranking the others." the bunny chuckled in return.

He shrugged, "I don't think my temptations can be withheld to find out."

A poster at the edge of a window caught his eye, one advertising the opening of a new vegetarian restaurant down at Precinct One. Without even asking, Nick already knew Carrots would love nothing more but to eat out there. The only thing left to do was ask-Ben's proposition flooded his mind once more. He felt his voice stammer, the sweat running down his back as he turned to her,

"Uhh, Judy, I just wanted to ask...to ask…"

"To ask what?" her usual smile flashing across her face, always eager to help out when her best friend was in need.

'I just wanted to…"

Nick couldn't even finish his sentence before the door to the room slammed open and the tall, authoritative figure of Chief Bogo strode in. Instantly, the entire room burst into uproar, the vast majority of the officers, save Nick and Judy, leaping up and beating their fists on the table. Judy turned her head and could see a few newbies at the back, confused with what their elders were doing. She smiled at them reassuringly, remembering how tough her job had been like at the start.

The Chief put up his hoof for silence. Their colleagues slumped back into their seats, the facility finally plunging into silence. The buffalo put on his reading glasses and flicked through the progress report.

"A couple of things to do today." he announced, not bothering to even greet anyone in the room, "First things first. I know there are a couple of new recruits in the room today, and….I feel I'm supposed to introduce them one by one, but I guess I just don't care. Deal with it." He snapped a harsh glare to the back of the room, the new recruits breaking into a sweat.

"Uhh, hey Ol' Buff...I mean Bogo." Nick laughed nervously, the usual con grin flashing back on his face, "They should have you as a clown at those birthday parties for kits...I'm sure the birthday kit is gonna have a birthday he'll _**never**_ forget,"

The entire room burst into laughter, even the most serious of them trying hard to hold back a smile.

"That's CHIEF Bogo to you." the buffalo snapped angrily at the fox. Nick couldn't help it. He was just SOOO stimulated when he saw Bogo getting pissed off-it was always worth the telling off that ensued. Yeah, yeah, he knew that Judy was on her his case for conning people in a cop's uniform….but how much harm would a little joke do?

"Assignments for today." the chief continued to read through the daily assignments, often pairing up new recruits with experienced partners for the day, getting them used to the daily runabout of Precinct One. It seemed as if the Police Chief had finally gained some respect for the new recruits, some of them, not unlike Judy Hopps, rising up the ranks in a matter of weeks.

"Delgado, McHorn, undercover...Billson, Grady, you two are going for security patrol…" the list droned on endlessly.

The fox and the bunny came last.

"Ah, finally, the unlikely partners….Wilde and Hopps." Chief Bogo stared down annoyedly at the two, "Special Mission. I can't exactly go into details here….and I can't be bothered to. Just ask Clawhauser for the case file, will you?You two better get crackin'." Removing his reading glasses, the buffalo left the room, hurling it into chaos once again.

"Jeez….what does that ol' buffalo want with us?" Nick complaint as they collected the case file from Clawhauser, making their way up to the special media room for research, "This shit just gets dumber and dumber every day!"

"Mind your language, Wilde!" Judy laughed as she skipped out of the elevator doors, "Just relax, okay? You know how good we are at cracking this kind of stuff."

"As if I haven't tried. He's really laid this one on us this time."

Judy pushed open the door to the special media room, nearly empty at this time of day, "Take it easy, Nick. Just ZOO it. Heh, geddit?"

Nick sighed and grimaced at her bad joke, bracing himself for the project which was going to engulf them for the next 48 hours.

It was another case far away from the city, not even near the suburbs and the farms where Judy had come from. It was miles from nowhere, the location pinpointed on the map so vague that even Nick doubted if he'd be able to find the place with his con experience. And he'd thought he had travelled everywhere! At that moment, Nick really wished that someone out there could invent some sort of drone or airborne device that would do all the tracking and mapping for him...heh, were his fantasies getting wilder and wilder or what? He was no scientist after all!

"So….counterfeit currency producers to the north…" Judy mumbled as she flicked through the case file, only a few pages deep. Nick already knew it was going to be a hard approach, "150 miles south-west of Gopherville….wow….that's a heck of a long way to go!"

"Ever thought of stopping by Bunnyburrow?" Nick joked sarcastically.

"Nah, Nick….know your geography! My hometown is to the south, you dumb fox…..you wouldn't like it if I stopped there, anyway."

Nick couldn't help but laugh and agree with her. He'd had enough of her parents asking if they'd already started dating and whatnot….his paws were literally flooded with sweat every time. And what was with those little bunnies and fox fur anyway? They just couldn't stop pulling his fur off the last time he visited.

The fox tried to concentrate on the report as time passed on, forcing his eyes not to look at his partner but at his report, the tiny words nearly blinding his vision. Half an hour later, he had learnt the following things:

They were going after a criminal Gang known as the Creators, specializing in melting up coins made for larger mammals such as elephants and recasting them into many more smaller ones, circulating them into service.

Their HQ was supposedly 350 miles away from the city centre, even out of the regional security's reach. They were investigating on the behalf of the Precinct 1's detective branch, devoted to slamming cases on counterfeit currency, especially in faraway places out of conventional reach.

He had never known that Judy's ears looked so attractive when she was concentrating.

Nick was going to continue with the list, adding more and more about how Judy looked amazing when the bunny looked up and glanced at him suspiciously. Damn, he had never been caught red-handed before.

"Uhh, Nick? Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked uncomfortably, clearly trying to avoid his stare. Nick instinctively looked down guiltily, afraid to meet her glance.

"Nothing, all's great over here." he replied sarcastically and mumbled something about endless reports.

On the other side of the table, Judy knew exactly what Nick was going through. Now she wouldn't be a real bunny if her ears were meant only for decoration, would she? She had overheard everything earlier that morning, and she understood how Nick felt inside. But….she wasn't exactly ready. As intimate as they already were, she just wasn't prepared to take the giant leap from friends to...she avoided the word.

"Great." Judy forced herself to smile, "Just focus your eyes on your file….and not on something else, 'kay?"

Nick got the message. But he wasn't interested in reading, at least no longer. He buried his snout into some old maps of the suburbs, ones yellowed by age or torn in some places. He sighed heavily. What was happening to him? The fox felt uncannily like the maps, his restless heart already torn in some places.

Judy couldn't help but feel sorry for her partner. She felt like leaning across the desk and patting him on the back, giving him a hug, whatever that might cheer him up. But circumstances were different this time, weren't it? Every time her eyes made contact with his slumped silhouette, she just couldn't stop blaming herself.

After what seemed like an eternity, she groaned and slammed the case file shut. Even she was trying hard to concentrate, the miserable heat in the room barely endurable. She looked at the clock on the hall. It was already 45 minutes past noon.

 _ **Time sure flies when you're not having fun**_ , she thought.

"Alright, Nick. Wanna get some lunch with me?"

His classical grin crept slowly back onto his face.

"You bet. I'm starving!"

The two made it just in time to catch the last seats available, a decent amount of officers already gathered in the canteen to catch a quick bite. Judy began munching on her salad greedily while Nick patiently sipped on his latte, savoring every moment he had with her. Boy, that bunny must have been starved! Nick had barely begun on his own dish when Judy had already finished hers, letting out a huge burp that just wasn't her. Fortunately for Nick, in her haste she hadn't noticed how attracted he was directing every possible glance innocently at his partner. He was pretending to flick through one of the older maps when she got up and threw the plastic carton away.

"Well, Nick, I've calculated the distance….", she addressed him in her professional mood, the tone she had cultivated so well over the years of service, "it's approximately 410 miles away from here. I'm afraid it's gonna take some time."

Nick slid on his shades. "Heck, Carrots, that's a long way to go. You sure you don't need a potty break?"

"Most bunnies can hold pretty well, thank you. It's going to take us around 3 and a half hours to get there, along different highways and even a few submerged areas! Sweet cheese and crackers...I've read through the info, and those facilities are spooky! I mean, some of them haven't even been used for 15 years!

"Mortals can break my bones, but dead mammals can never hurt me." he gulped down a final morsel of his food.

"Exactly."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The cruiser sped along the abandoned highway, the roadside advertisements long since faded and colourless. Nick hated to admit it, but the mood outside of their vehicle just continued to spook him. He kept reminding himself that he was travelling in a ZPD cruiser, and that he had the bravest officer and friend the ZPD had to offer right next to him. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Beside him, Judy Hopps struggled to keep her eyes wide open despite being the lone vehicle on the deserted highway. There were no more limits to follow here, the paint that once indicated the different lanes barely identifiable. It wasn't as if somebody was going to pop up and give the 2 cops a speeding ticket anyways.

And yet the thoughts of her partner persisted in bothering her, possibly the only stumbling block she could see in her career.

Sometimes late at night in her apartment, when she had turned off the lights but was still wide awake in bed, she wondered what might have happened if Nick hadn't ended up as her partner. A romantic relationship would have been nearly inevitable, her love for him finally prevailing despite the numerous obstacles lurking between them. She sighed. The bunny knew she loved him dearly, as much she was sure he loved her back. But she understood how much of a grudge her family held against foxes, especially her grandpa, one of those old-times who would gladly use his pitchfork to spear through Nick if he ever found out he was dating his granddaughter.

And there was more, apart from the old-fashioned taboo of predator-prey relationships. There was an incident that scarred her, an experience that actually wavered the slight temptation of going out with him. Yes, she knew what Claw had said to him earlier. But she still wasn't sure. Judy clearly understood the consequences of having a romantic companion as a partner in the ZPD…..she had witnessed many of them breaking up over time, being fired from the institution as they concentrated more on their private lives than on their work. As much as she loved him, she knew..she knew the Judy Hopps deep inside her heart would hate to see herself being fired from the police.

She was afraid to be together with him, not as friends, but as a couple. Judy worried about their future, for what might happen if they really joined together romantically.

"Uhhh, Carrots?" Nick asked her anxiously, "I think we are lost?"

For the past half hour he had been in charge of navigating, pouring into the ancient map made 50 years ago, already the most modern of all the maps of the area they could find. The region must have been neglected for a long time.

"Nonsense, Wilde." her determination still going strong, her paws grasping the wheel even harder, "We are nearly there."

"No, look." he learned across her and pointed out of the window. "There's a body of water, and we're nowhere near the sea."

Judy squinted her eyes and tried to make it out in the distant fog. And it was true, she could see the water rippling, remnants of the late afternoon sun glimmering off its surface.

"We've been driving around in circles." she complained as the car drove off the motorway, skidding across the portholes and uneven land, spraying out mud and soil from under the wheels.

"Whoa! Slow down, Carrots!" Nick yelped as his head hit the ceiling of the car, "You're off the motorway! This isn't even a road!"

Judy had driven the car to a strip of land next to the body of water, staring into the endless horizon of the muddy lake, stretching on and on as far as her eye could see. Where were they?

She double-checked the map. If the ancient map was accurate, then they were supposed to be driving past an industrial town marked "Gopherville District 1." She could see no lake, or sea for that matter nearby.

But something else caught her eye. There was a reservoir and a damn a dozen miles away from the town. Were they somehow driving extremely close to it? But no-the map had to be correct. There was no highway marked near the reservoir. She was looking at the remains of the town...or whatever was left of it.

What had even happened there? Why was there water covering this medium-sized town? Several dark thoughts from the back of her mind emerged, but she refused to dwell on them.

Something wasn't right here.

Puzzled, she brought the car back onto the motorway, the sun already setting in the distance. She sighed and decided to stop kidding herself-they were nowhere near their destination. The bunny dreaded the possibility of having to park the car somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Next to her, the fox could sense her radiating discomfort. She was fidgeting in her seat, the determination in her eyes no longer burning as strong as before. He, too, felt insecure sleeping in the wilderness. Perhaps they should set up a guard system, a rotation that started at midnight and continued till dawn, with him and Judy taking turns to sleep. He only hoped she would trust him looking after her sleeping self.

After a few more miles in the stuffy vehicle he began to feel dozy, his eyelids growing heavier as the mundane trip continued without end. He was about to fall unconscious when suddenly he noticed something just within his sight, lying next to the dilapidated road.

It was a huge chain-link fence, stretching on and on as if it were protecting a facility not intended for the public to find out-then it struck him that it probably was. But what did this institution have to hide? Nick could already read the government like a book back in his con days. But maybe, just maybe, this structure out in the wilderness had slipped past his eyes.

From the distance Nick could already make out the stains of rust that covered the wire mesh, the electricity that once ran through the barbed while long since disconnected. Every few yards or so the fox could notice several huge billboards, the words on them large but fading. They were signs warning civilians not to approach.

"Judy, stop the car."

"What?"

" _ **STOP IT! PLEASE!**_ "

The vehicle jolted to a halt, the silence of the countryside unnerving to her sensitive ears.

"Nick, what's going on?"

"Shh…" he whispered as he pushed open the car doors, the sinister fog creeping into the compartment.

Gingerly, he crept over to the fence as Judy watched over him at a distance. Something about the way he was acting was creeping her out. What the hell was wrong with the fox?

Nick crouched next to the fence and took out his binoculars. There were no buildings nearby, only a few items of trash that could have belonged to the last century. Squinting his eyes, he cautiously scanned the whole area. There _**had**_ to be something tucked away in the midst, concealed and never meant to be located. He felt his curiosity tingle him, his old eccentricity fill his veins once more.

He could make something out far, far away within the perimeter of the fence, tiny and distant, dark and mysterious. For a split moment he thought he could make out movement, the dark silhouettes of vehicles driving around. But he wasn't completely sure. He was considering taking out his wire cutters when the blaring horn of the vehicle interrupted his thoughts.

"What _**WAS**_ that?" Judy demanded as Nick climbed back into the cruiser.

"There's something in there….we gotta check it out."

"You confirm? This doesn't seem like a usual place to me."

Nick nodded, "I bet the Creators are inside-it has to be some sort of factory."

"Alright, we'll check it out tomorrow." she rolled her eyes in reluctance.

"Do it _**now**_." the adrenaline inside him pumped faster and faster.

Judy sighed, "I admit, I'm a terrible driver-it took us all day just to get here. Look, it's getting dark. You really sure you wanna be wandering there out of the car on foot after sunset?"

"Aye-aye, Sergeant." Nick laughed as he got out and slammed the car door behind him. "Let's call it quits for today."

"Let's just find a place to hide this thing" Judy said as she, too, climbed out of the cruiser and leaned against the hood, "I'm not sure we should let the Creators find out about us."

"Great. You trust me about that factory thing."

"Of course I do. Why would you even lie to me? She leaned across the engine and smiled at the fox, their faces bathed in the sunset light.

"Thanks...I mean, the stuff we've done all over the years…"

"Heh," Judy laughed, "Those Wild Times are still here ."

The duo fell silent for a while, enchanted by the beautiful scenery of the sun setting in the horizon. The light was fading steadily now, the sky behind them already concealed by the comfortable purpleness of twilight.

 _ **It's so beautiful**_ , Judy thought, _**yet nobody ever glances up to notice**_.

"Hey," Nick asked, breaking the silence, "Have you ever wondered if there are other mammals glancing up at the sunset like us?"

"Of course!" Judy answered, "Sunsets used to be a huge thing on the farm. I miss those days."

Nick chuckled a bit. "No, Judy. I meant out there." he jerked his thumb in the direction of the distant border, even further away than the Creator's HQ.

"The Outside?" she questioned puzzledly, "Are there even mammals out there?"

"Sometimes I like to think there are." his eyes were still locked on the sun, the moor stretching on forever to the place where the sky touched the earth….Nick knew it was only an illusion, of course. One could travel for days and never reach the place where the sky and the land connected.

"I guess. We can't be the only city on Earth, can we?"

Nick nodded but didn't reply. Judy, too grew silent. Just talking about the Outside was enough to raise the devil's temptation within their hearts.

But one had to be careful to conceal it.

Night soon fell, the sky above their heads stained black by the darkness of night. They hid their cruiser somewhere off the road, Nick breaking off some branches to act as primitive camouflage.

With everything set, under the illumination of the blinding headlamps they spread out a tablecloth and prepared a small picnic. It was Judy who had brought the food, packing everything from salads to canned soup.

 _ **Gosh**_ , Nick thought, _**one can never tell if we're going on a recon mission or a camping trip.**_

But his empty stomach convinced him to sit down and tuck into the food, his body fatigued from the long hours of driving. He stretched his legs and sat down next to Judy, who was already spreading the vegetables on the bread.

"Sup, Nick?" she greeted as he made his way from the cruiser, "Wanna get a bite to eat?"

"Only vegetables?"

"Nah...how could I ever forget about the scary predator who eats MEAT every meal?" she joked as she tossed him a bag of dried insects, "Put these between your bread, dumb fox."

Nick sighed in relief.

"Uhh, Judy?" Nick tapped her on the shoulder. He had been thinking a lot in the car. Now was probably the best time to make his move. He only hoped that his courage he had mustered wouldn't fail him at the last moment.

"Hmm?" she grunted, still chewing on the food.

"Uhh," Nick scratched his collar, feeling increasingly nervous. Why was it suddenly so hot and stuffy in his uniform? "I'm..I've got a ton of time to spend on Sunday. I'm just wondering...thinking if you're available as well. Perhaps...I may have the pleasure of accompanying you to a nice dinner?"

Judy laughed, "We're already eating together Nick!"

 _ **Smart evasion tactic. Take 2**_.

"How about a movie? I'm sure there are some excellent ones showing back in town." he chuckled worriedly. Would she shoot him down this time?

"Mhhmm…" she thought really deeply. She wasn't even sure how to answer him. Was it time to put away her fears and embrace his company? She knew how greatly he'd be hurt if she rejected him now.

"Y'know…" he tried to smile, "on a...on a…"

"On a date?" Judy finished the sentence for him.

She had to make a decision. Fast.

"Yeah...I...I just hope you can go out with me, I'd love to enjoy your company...you know."

 _ **STOP TALKING!**_ Nick screamt at himself inside. _**YOU'RE RUINING YOUR CHANCES!**_

Judy smiled and turned to face her partner, her face more beautiful to Nick than the setting sun he had just seen.

"Why not?"

Judy laughed on the inside as she saw the fox smile in relief.

"We can do friend's stuff all night. We are friends after all, aren't we?"

One wondered if she felt differently in her heart.


	5. A Conspiracy

**Author's Note:** **I wish to apologize for the quality of this chapter. I have been rather busy for these past few days, and most of the important info and foreshadowing in this chapter are mostly included in the dialogue between the characters. I intend to introduce the 2 human main characters, and give you guys an idea of what's going on on Earth. I really hope I didn't disappoint you guys, and I also hope that you will enjoy my writing. Thank you for your time reading my story...I really, really appreciate it. I mean it.**

 **This chapter may be boring to some. It does not involve Nick or Judy at all, as it is mainly about the ICED and the entire concept for the story. To quote the words of one of my favorite authors on this site, "Readers are a fickle bunch, Nick and Judy are what draws them in." Hmm, it seems I've fallen short again. But stay tuned. The dialogue is packed with foreshadowing scenes for the action that is taking place next chapter. (No more spoilers!)**

 **In addition, I would like to say that this chapter is not meant as racial discrimination against ANY culture or country, and wish to apologize here to all members of any culture who find my chapter offensive. I only want this chapter to be the starting point of the main plot. Thank you all for your understanding.**

 **Chapter 5: Yet to be Answered**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2067**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2021**_

 _ **Location: Main Surveillance Centre, ICED Research Facility, Xi'an, China.**_

 _ **Time: 1:52 p.m.**_

Feng Zhongren turned the computer off and gently massaged his sore temples, already numb from the long hours of staring at the surveillance footage. The soldier complained for the millionth time under his breath, endlessly cursing his bad luck to have been transferred to the PLA Security Branch based at the ICED Facility.

All had been fine 2 months ago, when him and his company were still stationed at the Dayi Nuclear Power Station just out of Xi'an. Life had actually been normal back then, with daily patrols and the occasional drills…..hell, even the long marches on the mountains were better than being stuck sitting in front of a monitor all day long, with nothing else to do but click on random security footage.

At barely 23 years old, Feng was one of the youngest to graduate in his class. He had felt an unusual patriotic urge to sign up and join the PLA, an unusual choice for a young man like him with numerous possibilities for striking rich in the big cities like Shanghai or Shenzhen. With his diploma, he could even have gone back to Hong Kong, where he had studied. It was mainly his uncle that had persuaded him to enlist, a veteran of the army well-into his 50s that had covered all his university fees. Zhongren couldn't help but feel that he owed the big hulk of a man something, so he had finally relented and enlisted to join the land corps. The ground forces were practically the only option left open for him. He was secretly scared of heights, and as for his ineptitude for swimming….the less said about it the better.

The soldier angrily recalled the day he had been issued with a file and ordered to drag his ass off to this hellhole. Heck, with all those guards and vehicles around, one could easily have mistaken it for NORAD or some top-secret military facility. What was the ICED even protecting? He still could remember distinctly how exceptional the strictness his superiors had shown when he and a few others from the other squads at the Nuclear Power Station were selected for ICED Duty. Why was his presence as a First Lieutenant even required? All he had a part in was to type up the reports every week and monitor the surveillance cameras.

His mind began to wander as he found himself with a loss of something to do. Feng impatiently tapped his foot, only to annoyedly tell himself off for straying from his duties. It was one of the many banes that threatened to tear apart his career every now and then.

There were over 300 soldiers at the facility, most of them from the PLA like himself. Feng had immediately been slapped with the title of "Senior Lieutenant" when they threw him to this place, except for the glaring fact that he no longer had any troops under his command. There was practically no one he knew at ICED, and his daily workload wasn't exactly offering him any opportunity to socialize. Humans were social animals after all-Zhongren hated to admit it, but his loneliness after every shift was starting to drive him crazy. Although he could now confide in no one, Feng was already missing the homely din of his old barracks.

And worst of all, despite his best efforts, Feng's English was still developing-some of the words gargled in his mouth like rocks when he attempted to pronounce them. Why couldn't they just send him to a place where he could use his main language? He was sick of his own accent, the distinct Chinese one that every foreigner pointed a finger at.

The door suddenly opened, the automatic lock beeping as the person was allowed into the centre. Feng startledly awoke from his trance, immediately glancing to the back of the room to confirm if it was friend or foe. He hastily put his feet down from the table, fearing that his superior Colonel Li had come to check up on him again. Li was a nice guy and all, but the soldier could only describe him as one demanding son of a gun.

To his relief, it wasn't Li. His shoulders relaxed and his mouth let out a chuckle.

He only had a few friends at the facility, the result of his constant keeping to himself. Feng rarely ever talked to the people there out of pure enjoyment, business and serious matters aside. Major Robert Freeman was one of them.

"Yo, Chris." the American strode into the room, holding two plastic cartons under his arms. Rob addressed Feng by the English name he had chosen for himself all those months ago.

"Hey Rob." Feng greeted his colleague, "What's that you got there?"

"A mouthful for both of us."

Major Freeman plumped himself onto the swivel chair next to Chris, placing the cartons onto the work desk. The American soldier was the exact opposite of Chris in terms of appearance, as short and muscular as the Chinese was lanky and tall. Rob was one of the representatives sent by the UN Security Forces, and of all people, one of the more scholarly ones too.

Not unlike the Chinese lieutenant, his intellect was probably the sole reason that landed them both into the surveillance and logistics department instead of patrolling the facility.

"Seriously, Rob? Rice again?"

"Hey hey," Rob held up his hands in defence, "Don't you Chinese only eat rice? Like every day of every friggin' week?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and all we speak is _**Ching Chong**_. Come on, Freeman, you know who I am."

"Alright, alright….I'll get you noodles next time."

"Forget it." Chris said as he delivered a punch to his colleague's arm, "Let's just check this crap out."

It wasn't too tempting, but it was already delicious by the standards in the facility. There was a generous portion of rice and vegetables in the carton, complete with several slices of unidentified meat lying on top of it, covered with brown soya sauce.

"Umm, Rob? You know what this is?" he pointed at the meat with his fork.

"It's rabbit." answered the American major, already gulping the food down, "Ain't you never seen it before?"

Chris picked it up and tried a taste. It was surprisingly chewy, kind of like how mild pork tasted when he sometimes ate it out of a can. The thin slices were actually delicious with the soya sauce spread on top of it.

"I had this a couple of times back in the Korean Station. They served all those kinds of weird shit back there….damn, there was even fox once."

Chris laughed, "Would love to have it. It's about time I got my own back on those chicken thieves back on the farm."

They ate in silence for several minutes, before Rob leaned closer to Chris and whispered next to his ear.

"Don't you think something isn't right here?"

Chris raised his eyebrow at the American, his mouth still working on the slices of rabbit.

"I mean, don't you notice there are more and more Japanese reps here than usual?"

Chris couldn't help laughing.

"God, Rob! I've had enough of your damn conspiracy theories!"

"Shh!" Rob was deadly serious, "The room could be bugged."

"By whom? The Martians? Chris joked along.

"No...good lord, are you blind or something? Anybody could have noticed...they're taking over the entire project."

"The Japs? Come on, Rob, I've only been here for 2 months and no one has come and gone, let alone a large contingent of Self-Defence Corps. What do you mean by taking over anyway, you 'tard?"

"3 months." he corrected, "If you think they're going to let you see through them, then you're the one who's retarded. I've been here for 2 years, Feng." he stared directly into the lieutenant's eyes, "There used to be a lot more of us Yanks….they just swarmed in to take our jobs. Tell me, Chris, how many troops are there stationed here at the ICED?"

"Ummm, 300?" Chris racked his brains, "150 Chinese, 80 Americans, 50 Japs, 20 others, I guess?"

"You're fucking kidding me." Robert facepalmed, "You're WAY out of the times."

"The heck you mean?"

"See here," Rob sighed, "The major doctors here, tell me Chris, are they from Beijing, or are they from Tokyo?"

"Professor Zhao is leading the whole damn project. Commander Li is in charge of the whole goddamn defence sector, if you still think…"

"Anybody else?" Major Freeman raised his eyebrow at Chris, "Who are the others, huh? Have you forgotten Nagato, Shunsen. Akaji…"

"Okay, I get the point." he held up his hands in defence.

"We can't let them screw us over, Chris." Rob looked at his colleague desperately, "We need to do something."

"Just chill, okay? Look, I know you're pissed off after getting your ass handed to you by one of em' last week…"

"Shut the FUCK up."

"Alright, whatever you say, man. Just...relax, okay? We're here for a reason….to protect whatever the ICED has their asses up into. I have no idea, and neither have you, right? So let's have the Japs do all the work for us and get us a goddamn early break."

Robert sighed, "You're just naturally unsuspicious. Too unsuspecting. Look, I know you've got a Japanese girlfriend here at…"

Chris jumped to his own defence, "She's NOT my girlfriend."

The steel door to the surveillance room swung open, another person intruding the two men's presence. A tall Asian woman in her mid-20s casually strolled into the room, her lab coat swinging breezily in the light wind from the wall-mounted fans. Her face was lightly tanned, though still a bit fairer than Chris's own. She was strikingly beautiful, and even the major couldn't resist staring at her..

"Speak of the devil," he muttered.

"How's it going, guys?" she greeted the men cheerfully, pulling out the seat next to Chris. Freeman glared at her but she ignored him anyway, sitting down next to the Chinese lieutenant.

"Good afternoon, Miss Matsuura." Robert's formality in a way unnerving Chris. He was rarely that polite, unless he was trying to be sarcastic or attempting futilely to please his superiors. Chris guessed it was the former.

"Hi, Chris," she said, completely unaware of the major's annoyance. "Eating a poor defenceless bunny today, are we?" she joked.

Chris laughed. "Stop putting the pressure on me."

"You cruel thing." she jokingly slapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay, I'm done, I'm out." grumbled Freeman, throwing the carton into the bin, "I can't stand it next to couples….they irk me."

Chris and Samantha exchanged glances and tried hard not to laugh until the major had left in disgust. Then they burst into laughter, both of them overwhelmed with the ridiculity of the situation.

Samantha Matsura was the first person in the compound to befriend him, the sole companion reaching out to him in an alien background. He was even worse off back then, the troops and even Rob ignoring him unless it was time for the weekly meetings. He still remembered amusedly how they had met 2 months ago, when Chris was just another guard slaving endlessly in the area. He had clumsily tripped over her in a queue next to the canteen, the food spilling all over the floor and onto her feet.

For the first few moments no one moved a muscle. Chris could have sworn that he felt hundreds of pairs of eyes bare into his back, hundreds of mouths ready to emanate the cruel sound of mocking laughter. Then before he knew it he was back onto his feet, a strong arm clasped on his shoulder reassuringly. He looked up, expecting it to be some other angry guard or perhaps even Li, eager to give him a reprimand or demotion he knew he deserved. But it was only Sachiko, or Samantha, as she preferred to call herself. She had willingly cleaned up the mess with him and had bowed in apology to him, her sincerity moving Chris to an extent he had never experienced before. And it was not a deception, her politeness not a clever trick to deceive him in the false comfort of kindness. Oh no, Chris thought, she was much more than that.

They had become best friends since then, her warm embrace gradually opening him up to other colleagues in the facility. But yet she still hadn't managed to solve the largest problem that loomed prominently in his job-the boredom.

"You're technically not allowed in here, y'know?" he told her, shoving another spoonful of rice down his throat. "Be glad we...ahem...have LOSE security around here."

"The only reason why I agreed to join the ICED?" she raised her eyebrow at Chris.

"What does the ICED even mean anyway?" Chris rolled his eyeballs, "International Cooperation of Energy Department or something? Already sounds shitty to me."

"It's the International Coalition of Energy Development." she corrected, "Gosh, Chris, you've been here for 3 months….has nothing still gotten to your brain?"

"Sue me. 6 days of the week I just stare at mindless diagrams of troops positions and shit. I guess I should be the one asking you the question, Assistant Engineer Matsuura."

"Guilty as charged, lieutenant." she grinned, "I do know a bit."

"Mind if you tell me then?"

Her glance darted around anxiously, as if Freeman or some other person had concealed himself. Chris could catch a flash of fear in her eyes.

"Listen, I'm telling this to you only because I trust you. You know we are best friends here, right?" her beautiful brown eyes locked with Chris' stare, "I believe you are my confidant too, aren't you? I'd go crazy if I kept this bottled up inside me for too long."

Chris nodded, eager for her to continue.

"Our jobs, our being here...it isn't that simple, Zhongren." she suddenly spoke in Chinese, addressing her best friend in his native name, "I've been here for only 7 months, only a bit more than you."

"Nice Chinese by the way," he grinned, "So, what's the purpose of our being?"

"Well...I'm only a junior researcher on the team, I don't know much." she shrugged disappointedly, "But I've been rising up the ranks lately, and there's a whole ton of stuff that's….that's classified to almost everyone but our team. Gosh, Chris, they even forbid me to tell my family what I'm working on."

"Tell me about it." he laughed, "You should have seen the clearance form when they sent me to this hellhole...would've blown your head off with a whack."

"Hardy har har," Samantha dismissed his joke, "Just...just don't let me down."

"I promise." Chris was determined not to betray her.

"Thanks." she smiled, "Do you know what's Helium-3?"

"Uhhh…." the lieutenant racked his mind for his rudimentary scientific knowledge but all that was long gone since his old days of schooling. "Some sort of gas, maybe?"

"Just proves science isn't your strong suit. It's a powerful form of energy that doesn't exist on earth...it escapes our atmosphere too easily, Chris. Well, that's what we thought."

"You mean….Xi'an has this sort of weird energy hunkered down somewhere underground?"

"Hypothetically, yes. At least that's what our sensors say….that's what I've believed for a long time since I got here, that Xi'an somehow has an unnatural resistance to keep the He-3 within the atmosphere...it still shocks me how stupid I was."

"Pardon?"

"I just found out a month ago," she sighed, "Well, let's just say the media will be blasting the news for half a year continuously, non-stop. If it ever got out, I mean."

Chris looked at her curiously. What was his government hiding from him and 1.4 billion others?

"Chris," she stared intently at her colleague, her confidant, "There's a flaw in the system. A gap in the wall."

"What? I'm not sure I'm following you."

"Take the space-time continuum be the separation between us, two worlds, one on each side. The massive energy on either side was so strong...our guess is that there was some kind of transfusion failure on the other side that resulted in the obstacle being weakened...weakened to such an extent that inter-dimensional travel was hypothetically, and actually possible."

"So that's what the ICED has been doing? Building a friggin' portal when they're supposed to be saving the world? What's our damn use then? This ain't make no sense."

"That was answered by my old boss months ago, just before he was transferred to another facility at Lanzhou. You should know him...he was Dr. Song. He had requested the exchange himself. He was constantly paranoid, Chris, that some terrorist organization out there might hold this portal hostage in exchange for some shit or something….or worse."

"You mean use it?"

"That's what he's been thinking. I guess that's the reason of your being."

Chris sighed. "So what about the Helium-3?"

"That's part of the plan. The ICED has been attempting interdimensional contact….I'm not sure if there's anyone on the other side yet. The amount of energy needed is tremendous, almost impossible in conventional means. Hence Station Dayi. There's no other better place than China to build a covert nuclear power station….you could just relocate a few villages, by force if necessary, then slam a radioactive compound where there once used to be beautiful scenery. No questions asked at all...how convenient."

Chris desperately wanted to retaliate, to rebut her rare insulting of his motherland. But he held his tongue for the moment, far more interested in the rest of the story.

"Go on." he urged.

Samantha took a deep breath, "That's all I know. There's been Helium-3 detected on the other side, the wall between us so weak that the approximate amount has already been calculated. There's enough for the whole world to use for 50 years. God knows how much Operation Atom costs, but I'm on their side now...I believe it's worth it. At least that's what I hope."

Chris finished his lunch and threw the carton back onto his desk, empty and grimy. He smoothed the creases on his uniform and stood up, pushing the swivel chair backwards behind him.

He pointed his finger at the door, "Wanna take a stroll?"

"Why not?" her usual grin creeping back onto her face.

Almost every day they took a brief walk through the huge compound, ignoring the bustle of activity around them, the lone relaxed ones among a sea of stressfulness. Sometimes it was the only break Chris got from his work, the short half an hour he cherished with his best friend, the only one in the entire facility that he trusted with his life….and maybe even more.

They decided to sit next to the Memorial Fountain, the exact spot where Helium-3 had been detected all those years ago, as she had told him when they arrived. It was in 1987 to be exact, when she hadn't even been born.

They chose a comparatively cleaner bench and lied on it relaxingly, glancing up at the beautiful Chinese afternoon sky, still spared from the already heavily-polluted metropolis.

She glanced at his sidearm, the standard-issue QSZ-92 hanging from his holster at his side.

"Can you put that down for just a second?"

"How come?"

"Aren't you afraid that thing's gonna go off any second?" she asked suspiciously.

Robert's words came back to his mind.

"Just….just be careful, okay?" he whispered to Samantha.

She looked up at him confusedly, her bewilderment betrayed in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Chris sighed, the frown returning to his face. Why was he feeling like this?

"Rob...I mean Major Freeman suggested that something was, well, not right. Something about the personnel here."

She nodded slowly.

"I get why he's paranoid. There are over a thousand workers altogether combined here...soldiers, technicians, construction workers, you name it. But this is a multinational venture, Chris, who would dare jeopardize the mission if the ones in control were the major powers themselves?"

"That's what he was thinking."

Her eyes lit up, fearful of the meaning of his theory.

"Which….what did he suspect?"

"Look, he didn't trust you guys. I admit, I don't either, after I'd heard what he had to say and offer. At first I thought he was joking, but well...he had raised a few good points. I don't really know what to say to you, Samth….you're the only one who I can trust."

She squeezed his arm gently, "I'm always on your side, believe me. Nothing on Earth would convince me to betray you."

Chris smiled weakly, "Thanks….me neither."

"So...you mean he suspected the Japanese Government?"

"Well, yeah, he kinda did." the two were still conversing in Mandarin, the official Chinese language, "Maybe not the main one though, perhaps just a few officials in the military working covertly. You know how much power they had back in the war."

"History buff."

He ignored her, "He proved that there was something going on, something that involved a coup of sorts….he just kept rambling on and on. I have to say, with the He-3 you just mentioned….covertly taking over the entire operation might just be tempting, and worst of all, worth it."

In an instant Sachiko immediately understood why Freeman had treated her so coldly, so disrespectfully. He had suspected her, suspected her of taking part of the stupid coup that he had a conspiracy theory about. She couldn't believe her ears.

She scarcely had any information about the project (Operation Atom) until very recently. It was impossible that she could have had any hand in it, let alone be one of the main conspirators. Japanese staff members _**had**_ seen a dramatic increase in the last few months, especially troop representatives from the Self-Defence Corps. But….but it was just that their nation was a peace-loving one, one that was taught to bear their grandfather's shame of the Second World War. While Sachiko understood there were still some radical organizations out there, ones that still called China " _ **Shina"**_ -they had never been the mainstream, especially not since 70 years ago.

The scientist had always loved her country, but...the notion of military expansion had always seemed insane to her. It simply belonged to another age.

Was she taking Rob's ramblings too seriously? Was it even possible for her country to stage a major takeover of one of the most heavily-guarded compounds in the People's Republic of China?

"His...his worries aren't without reason, I guess." she put her hands in her pockets and glanced up again, "Communications here is sparse….something might happen and the Central Government may never know about it. It's true, Zhongren…..I used to be in charge of it. There's only a report every month or so."

Chris nodded and bit his lips. He could feel his initial relaxation slipping away, the stress gradually overwhelming him. Feng pulled out a pack of cigarettes from under his uniform, sliding out a single one from the cardboard box.

"Smoking is harmful for you."

He looked at her curiously, the hand with his lighter ready to light it.

"I used to smoke like you too….until I learnt what it does to you body."

"I need the release." he shrugged.

She groaned. "Do it for me then, okay? Do you really mind if I die of passive smoking?"

Reluctantly, the Chinese lieutenant flicked the slender white stick into a nearby trash can. But silently, he slid the rest back into his shirt pocket. One never knew if he needed the release again.

"Where are you going tonight?" Matsuura asked suddenly out of the blue.

"Uhh...back at the dorm, maybe?" he tried to answer cheerfully, "Shoving into my stomach another pack of those instant noodles, perhaps?

"You're eating too much of that crap." she shook her head, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Wanna go out with me...for tonight?"

"You mean, to the city?" Chris was shocked, "I haven't been to the downtown in like...2 months?"

"Poor, poor soldier." she laughed, flinging her long, jet-black hair behind her shoulder "I'll go pick you up in my car and find us a nice restaurant later...just the two of us, okay? No others, I don't want any other grunts around me."

"Ain't no one more sophisticated than me, eh?" he joked

"Shut up, you." she slapped him mockingly.

Chris felt his body tense up. He was always so unused to body contact, even if it was his best friend. It made him hot, stuffy and embarrassed….things he often tried to avoid.

"Oh, darn," Samantha looked at her watch and swore, "Break's over, gotta get back to the station."

"Yeah, me too." answered the young lieutenant, double-checking his own, "Old Li's gonna be here in 5."

"Chris?" she tapped him lightly on the shoulder, "I'm always on your side….remember that, please do. If you need help, ANY help, feel free to come to me. I promise….I'm going to help you whatever happens. I do."

"I will." he nodded solemnly, the trust shown in his brown eyes. "But I have a question."

"Yes, Senior Lieutenant Feng?" she suppressed a smile as she mimicked the Commander.

"Why are we going out? Are we going as friends, or…?"

She grinned slyly, 'That is yet to be answered, soldier."


	6. The Object Stared Back

**Chapter 6: The Object Stared Back**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Area outside E-14 Power Station Premises, Zootopia**_

 _ **Time: 8:10 a.m.**_

The lone automobile on the deserted highway swerved to evade the numerous portholes on the ground, the two unlikely partners inside observing the barbed wire that mysteriously surrounded a huge section of the moor. Judy Hopps was already feeling dozy, her eyelids struggling to remain open as they kept driving in circles, trying to find a section of the chain link fence that proved more vulnerable for the two of them to enter.

So far they had not run into any luck at all. It was as if someone had placed a huge wall in the middle of nowhere for no purpose…..as much as she trusted Nick, she was starting to doubt if they were just wasting their time driving around the premises.

It was Nick that was so gung ho about the whole operation. He had really been shaken up the previous night, the unknown entity that he had observed intriguing the fox's curious mind. He had often boasted in front of her that he knew everyone and everything, but for once the sly con turned cop was silenced. He had not known anything about the huge barrier that closed off a desolate part of the countryside, yet had obviously been hidden from the public for a long period of time-the rust on the fence testified to that. It had probably been there for decades.

And that begged the question….who, or what was behind it?

"I don't get it" Judy mumbled to herself for the millionth time as her partner took her place behind the wheel, "I can't connect to the ZPD Wireless."

"Mhm." Nick commented whilst chewing on an energy bar, "Wouldn't mind missing one of the ZPD's daily reports anyway."

Judy glared at him, her paws still jiggling endlessly with the car's wireless set in front of her.

"Sorry…" he fumbled with the wheel, "I didn't know Bogo was supposed to be on right now." he apologized jokingly.

"Dumb fox," she laughed, "Chief told us to report at exactly 8 a.m. this morning."

"We aren't exactly punctual, are we?"

"Yeah, I know….he's gotta get annoyed like always. But the thing is, I tested the radio before we left and it was working okay. It went haywire only this morning, I swear….now I can only pick up static and nothing else."

Nick shrugged, 'Maybe something's gone loose? Never trusted that thing anyways."

"Nah…" she kept her eyes on the several knobs attached to the mechanism. "It's as if….someone placed an invisible barrier here. A barrier that doesn't allow any telecommunications or radio messages to go through it at all. That's a pretty terrifying thought, isn't it?"

"I don't know….I admit, I'm getting pretty sick of this. We've been driving for like, 45 minutes now. I think we should get moving, try to get past the chain link fence regardless of the report or not. Ol' Buffalo Butt can wait."

"Just 5 more minutes. Please?"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Fine, but my paws are getting tired. I might run over some mammal before you finish fixing this useless wireless."

Judy grimaced at his bad joke and continued to fiddle with the machine. But even Nick could see that it was dead silent, even though the power was on. Nothing was getting through to them, no radio waves at all.

Just as Nick swerved away from the highway and onto a relatively flatter part of the moor, the radio crackled and Judy's ears immediately perked up. Always trust a bunny to be the most sensitive to sound. She grabbed the earphones and began to concentrate, her eyes attentively trained onto the tiny machine that was now returning to life.

"Shhh, Nick…" she whispered, as if not daring to interrupt whatever fragile reception the area had, "Stop the car."

Nick obeyed and slammed on the brakes. The cruiser slid to a halt, the robust tyres spraying up dirt from the moor and onto the concrete of the ancient highway. Silence once again returned to the huge and undisturbed moore, the lone engine having ceased its whirring. In a place like this, a car could be heard from miles away-the operating of an engine would seem like an explosion on the deserted plain.

"Hopps….Hopps, do you copy me?" the radio crackled. It was the Chief, already pissed off. As Judy had predicted, the radio waves were extremely weak. She could barely make out Bogo's usual bossy tone over all the static.

"Copy. Officer Hopps and Wilde awaiting orders, sir." she answered, doubting that Bogo would hear her clearly.

But magically he did.

"Mission cancelled…..return to HQ…..orders from…" the buffalo's answer was fragmented, only a few words spared from the nightmarish situation the battered radio was in. Judy continued to listen in, her ears perking up straighter as the Chief went on.

"Repeat, sir? The radio is in a terrible condition…"

She could hear her boss yelling over the radio now, his voice as angry and commanding as usual.

"Orders from….mayor...the top….abort mission! Return to HQ immediately!Abort mission!"

The last 2 words stuck in her mind. It was the only part of the message that was crystal-clear.

"Sir, we are in the middle of…..sir, I'm just saying…" she fumbled and tried to finish her sentence.

"Not in the …..to tell you. Security….not enough….clearance. Over, and out." With the final order delivered, Chief Bogo signed off, leading the two partners to carry out his commands.

Nick looked puzzled at the bunny. "So...how did it go?"

He was surprised to see Judy remove her earphones and stare dumbfoundedly out of the windows.

"I...I don't really know. He said that he had orders, orders from the very top." she turned to him, "He said we needed to clear out. Now."

Nick was stunned. Orders from the top? That was just another piece of evidence that the government was up to something. As always, he could read them like a book. And this time, he was determined to find out what was of such importance that even a con like him had no knowledge of. It was go big or go bust at that point.

At least it was to Nick.

"He...I mean, Chief Bogo also mentioned something about security clearance." she continued, unsure what to make of it all. "I...I'm not sure, Nick. Maybe we should pull back."

"What?" he glanced at her, as if she had suggested that they jump off a cliff and kill themselves together. "Pull back?"

She tapped her foot nervously on the car floor. "Well...those are our orders."

"We've come out all the way out here...and it all ends like this? Tell me, Judy, does it all end like this? Whatever they're hiding in there….I've got to find out, cop or no cop."

"Nick…" she tried to persuade him. But his mind was already firmly made up.

"Judy." she looked directly at her, his tone unusually grave, "do you remember how we became partners? Or how you became a sergeant?"

"Uhh…" she knew what was coming, "By solving the Nighthowler case?"

"Bingo." Nick clapped his hands sarcastically, "and we didn't have orders too, did we? I was only a civilian, a civilian intruding and trespassing on one of the greatest conspiracies ever committed by our government. OUR government, Carrots. I've never trusted them, not for a single second in my life, no."

He cleared his throat. "It's time we do things on our own, for once. Things are already getting weird around here, and NOW orders from the top are asking us to draw back? Nah, Carrots, you've gotta be smarter than that."

"I mean…" Judy struggled to defend herself.

"You know we can't stop here." her partner was dead serious now. "It's all in there, waiting to be discovered! We're not being missed at the office anyways….just blame it on a long drive or something. 30 minutes in there can't hurt, CAN it?"

Judy felt the temptation to disobey Bogo's orders rise from beneath her heart, the curiosity within her for once surpassing the responsibility she considered for the institution she served. She knew Nick was right. Something WAS fishy around here. The only thing was that she still didn't know if she wanted to find out or not. One Nighthowler was enough. Judy had often heard of rumours about the government, conspiracy theories that sometimes were wild enough to give her nightmares.

But even so, she had a premonition as if the force, the entity that lay beyond the fence was posing a threat to the well-being of the city, to all those she loved. Maybe it was also her responsibility to find out.

It was time to face her fears.

" Carrots," Nick reached out his paw, 'Judy. Are you with me or not?"

Judy made up her mind. She had always been a curious bunny back on the farm.

"Wherever you go, I go."

"Roger that, Sergeant." Nick grinned and winked at the bunny.

The game was on.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

They ditched the cop car somewhere off the road, not bothering to hide it with camouflage or behind a bush. The chances of anyone finding and actually stealing their car were slimmer than a weasel on a diet. Nick and Judy had checked through their equipment, taking along some of the cameras and detection devices originally intended for the recon mission.

On top of that, Judy also stuffed a few more nutrition bars in her pockets, and forced Nick to carry with him some more in case they got hungry while roaming the plain. They would be trekking the moor on foot, lest that their engine be picked up by whatever entity that was lurking inside. Over the years they had learnt the importance of stealth. The fox rolled his eyes but obliged, reluctantly stuffing the refreshments into his own pack. Of course, he was willing to do anything for her.

"Okay, I'm ready." Nick patted his trousers and felt for the countless bulges that protruded from the pockets. "Let's just go….the curiosity is virtually killing me from the inside."

"Not yet, Officer Wilde." Judy said as she reached into the boot and pulled something out, "You forgot this."

She handed one of the objects to him and attached one to her own utility belt. They were tranquilizer pistols, each one equipped with 8 shots.

Nick turned the weapon around in his hands carefully, as if it might go off any second. He had never used it in actual combat before and he hoped he would never have to, but according to his instructor he probably had the best aim in his class when he graduated. Astounding for a first-time shooter.

"Wow," he whispered as he tucked his own gun into its holster, "This is gonna get bad."

"You never know what's inside." Judy shrugged, "Sometimes it's really necessary for a quick escape."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Nick's voice trailed off, "I wish they had something more lethal, though."

"Nick!" Judy stared at the fox in shock.

He held up his paws in surrender, "Okay, okay, I was wrong. Cops aren't here to hurt mammals, not even if they're big bullies like Ol' Bogo. I just thought some upgraded self-defence would be nice."

The bunny nodded but remained silent.

Nobody said anything as the two officers slowly made their way to the rusted chain-linked fence, the electric current that originally ran through it long since disconnected. Now the fence lay dilapidated and unused, waiting for them to cut through it and wander through whatever lay behind the barrier. Nick could spot 5 more rusted and fading signs, all in various states of decay with big block letters that warned of high voltage and advised the civilian population to keep out. The fox grinned to himself.

" _ **Not anymore,"**_ he thought.

The duo silently pulled out their wire cutters they had brought with them and began cutting the wire together, severing the loose and aged metal that held them together fragilely. Fortunately, the fence had seen better days and it soon fell apart quicker than the bunny had expected, exposing a small hole to the wilderness beyond. It was an open invitation for them to enter, more than enough for a four-foot fox and a three-boot bunny. They were all set.

"Behind you." Nick joked as he gently pushed his partner inside.

"Come on, slowpoke." Judy urged as she stood impatiently on the other side. "We need to get back to HQ as soon as possible."

"That report can wait…" he muttered under his breath as he stooped low and crept across the torn part of the fence, 'Ouch! You should have cut higher, Carrots!"

He rubbed his head in pain. Gosh, those pinpricks were SHARP.

"Let's go." she waved her paw and she set off jogging into the moor, kicking up dust for her partner. Nick sighed and stretched his long legs to catch up with her.

The area inside the fence was larger than they had thought. His vigilant sight could pick up nothing else despite having run for 5 whole minutes. As he ran tiredly he quickly scanned the area for any telltale signs of mammal intrusion, but so far there were no traces at all. He could only see the light footprints of the bunny in front of him.

"Woah, slow down Judy!" he panted breathlessly after 10 minutes, "Let me take a break!"

She shook her head in mock disappointment, her grey fur wet with little beads of sweat. "Did they teach you anything in training?"

He wiped his brow, trying hard to catch his breath, "Look, I've been out of practice. Call me in for shooting and I'll do a job no fox has ever done before. But this physical madness? Oh no."

Judy broke out a bottle of water and passed it to the fox. Nick greedily gulped down half of it, before remembering to save some for the bunny and handed it back to her. She took a sip herself, and turned to reveal a pair of binoculars in her paws. It was the newest ZPD version, as model that even exceeded the type he had acquired when he was still a con.

"Take a look. Your eyes are better."

"Get your eyes off Furbook for 10 days and I'll promise it'll get better." Nick joked, earning himself a light punch from his best friend. He put the binoculars to his eyes, and searched the area.

There WAS something. It was about 300 metres away from where they were standing, and the fox could barely make out a few scattered buildings along with several winding paths. He thought he could see some vehicles moving, but they were too distant to be sure.

He put the implement down and glanced all around them. The ground was barren except for the occasional vegetation or so, but Nick soon found something of interest. Curiously, he strode a few yards to his right, Judy following close behind. He ducked his head and looked cautiously among the grass, and his eyes began to lock on something. Judy could feel his tensity, the seriousness that seldom came into his work. It only meant that what he was dealing with was deadly important.

He crouched and stretched his paw to retrieve something from the ground, hidden from Judy's sight by the tall grass. Nick carefully brushed the dirt off the object he had found, and held it up gingerly for his partner to see. The bright sun cast a shadow over Nick, and she held up one of her paws to shield her eyes against the glare.

It was a torn piece of newspaper.

Excitedly, she ran over to Nick and instantly grabbed the parchment from his paws, sending him off balance. It was a telltale piece of evidence, an item that provided vital information on crime scenes. This was no different. She immediately glanced to the top right corner of the front page, searching for the date that had so much potential.

"21st April, 2058." it read.

It was 8 years since it had been published. She began to look for more on the paper, her mind fervently processing the data when the fox's cries interrupted her concentration.

"Judy...there's more! Over here!"

He was standing a few metres next to her, holding yet more scraps in his paws. They seemed cleaner than the version Judy held, and even she could see that there were more of them. Eagerly, she joined him and looked over his shoulder on her tiptoes to make out what he was reading. There were quite a few publications lying in the dirt, apparently. There were one or two newspapers, a few magazines, and even a dirty tabloid that Judy hastily threw back onto the ground despite her partner's protests.

"This one is from last year." Nick announced, holding up one of the front pages, the parchment not yet shredded with most of the words still legible. "It appears that there is a whole ton of garbage lying around here…..all from different ages."

She bent her back and searched for more. There were quite a few newer ones, some of them even from January. Others were much older, one even dating back all the way to the 40's. The place must have been ancient.

She picked up one of the newer ones and held it to the sun, her eyes squinting to read the date. What she saw made her drop the parchment in shock.

It was from yesterday.

Somebody had been there with them in the area. Frantically, she turned to face Nick and said,

"Somebody must have been here. Look, this one's from yesterday." she thrusted the newspaper under the fox's snout.

His face was a mix of confusion and anxiousness, his mind trying hard to process what was going on. He could not understand at all…..he had been awake all night despite his fatigueness, and yet he had heard nothing, let alone the rumbling of a motor engine.

"Could it have been a silenced model?" Judy suggested, as if reading his mind.

Nick nodded hesitantly. What she had said was also a possibility. Only last week, they had attended a brief lecture about the recent development of new vehicle models designed for ZPD use, including a cruiser version that claimed to be absolutely silent. The advanced technology had unnerved Nick, yet Judy had found herself entranced. Could the Creators, or whoever was accessing this place, have such knowledge of those advanced vehicles?

Or on the contrary, was the government itself controlling the area?

There was only one way to find out. Collecting several samples from the ground and carefully sweeping off the dirt that covered their pages, Judy tucked them gently into her pack. A long investigation and report awaited them when they went back. Subconsciously, she could remember that they were straying away from their original mission, but her curiosity urged her on. She was determined to find out who, or what was concealed so secretively in such a godforsaken place.

The officers moved on, only pausing to whisper among themselves occasionally whenever they saw a new sight, from several car wrecks that could have been decades older than themselves, to huge heaps of trash scattered all over the place.

This place was huge….and eerie.

Suddenly, Judy's ears pricked up and her eyes flared. Nick stared intently at her, awaiting for what she had to say. Her hearing was much better than his sight….his abilities were no match for hers. Her ears continued to twist, and on her face came an expression of horror. Abruptly, she dropped to the ground, lying down to conceal herself. Apprehensive, Nick did the same.

He flipped open his bulky pack and pulled out the binoculars, squashed between everything they had packed. Judy snatched them from his paws and held the tool to her eyes, slowly doing a scan of the area. Too nervous to move, Nick lay quietly and patiently waited for her to complete her observation.

"Listen" the words came hastily, the syllables mashing into each other.

Nick ignored the heavy weight on his shoulders and focused on the environment, catching a few whispers from a place far away. He began to hear alien noises around him, and above all a sound that he missed, a sound that he hadn't heard since they ditched the cruiser.

It was the sound of an engine. No, check that. Several engines.

How could he have missed them? Taking out a spare set of binoculars, he joined Judy and slowly revealed his head from behind the concealment of the tall grass.

It was a gigantic mismatch of concrete and steel, the entire compound 2 times bigger than their own Headquarters in Precinct One. Smoke was gently wafting up from several towering smokestacks, their height dwarfing the rest of the facility. Even from a distance the two knew that it was possibly brand-new, the recentness of that building standing out from the rest of the wasteland. Most astonishing of all, the fox could make out dozens of unmarked black vehicles of different sizes, from trucks to cruisers like their own, swerving silently along snaking, little paths.

The place was controlled by mammals.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…." the 3 words came involuntarily out of Judy's mouth.

"You going in? If not, we can always call it quits." Nick asked, his old self returning as he banished his unlikely fear into the deepest and darkest cells of his mind. He was a fox, a con and a cop all combined into one. He hadn't come all the way here for nothing.

"I'm with you, Nick." Judy answered, though even her voice couldn't conceal her apprehensiveness, "We may be afraid, but I guess danger's our middle name by now, isn't it?

"Nah," the fox waved his paw dismissively at the old gag, "Just check those out before we go further." his finger pointed at a black mass quite distant from the main facility, instead rather close to where they were hiding.

Judy raised her head to get a better look. On closer inspection, it was sort of like a garage, around 5 jet-black jeeps packed together tightly in the middle of nowhere. There were no guards in sight, just the 5 vehicles sitting out lonelily on the moor. One might assume that they were being prepared for a patrol, but for the time being the area was definitely clear.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Within 2 minutes the bunny and the fox found themselves standing next to the jeeps, patting them with their paws and feeling their icy metal surfaces. Winter was advancing upon them , and the harsh gusts were already blowing in from the North. The fox stood on his tiptoes and peered into the passenger compartment-hell, those cars were huge, designed for mammals much bigger than foxes. At that moment, Nick felt a rare pain his heart for his stature, his size being a huge vulnerability in his masculinity. Man, couldn't he just have a few inches or an extra foot more? He was tired of being pushed aside by the larger mammals, elephants or buffaloes that treated him like dirt.

He found numerous wrapped boxes inside the jeep, sealed tightly with tape and piled up neatly on the back seats. There were even more larger boxes tucked inside the boot, some of them blocking his vision. In shock he realized that the dozen long, slender metallic sticks he had seen lying around in the driver's seat were rifles, the powerful kind that could knock-out mammals for several days on end. Of course, even here nothing was lethal.

As he looked up he saw Judy looking at him from the other side of the car, her breath misting up the window. She waved at him and gestured with her paw to open the flap of the boot.

His paws felt the opening of the flap and he put his fingers underneath it, curling around the handle. Merely testing, he gingerly lifted it up gently, expecting it to be locked. Instead the flap swung wide open, exposing the boot and its contents to the two intruders. The dozen cartons inside stared up mysteriously at them, its contents begging to be opened. Grunting, the fox pulled one of them out while his partner watched relaxingly, and placed it on the soil.

His paws numbly pulled out his standard-issue police knife and cautiously, he cut the layers of tape that surrounded the opening and broke the seal instantly. Throwing away the transparent remains of the pesky tape he hastily threw open the lid, his eyes expecting to see some sort of treasure piled up, gleaming inside the box.

But his desires would be disappointed. The cartons contained some sort of brand-new uniform, some he remembered seeing from old movies. It clearly belonged to some sort of institution, although not one that he knew of. None of Mr. Big's mammals, nor any others that belonged to the dark side of the city would dare to wear uniforms and expose their own identity-he instantly ruled out the possibility of the institution being a criminal organization. If they were not the Creators, then who were they? They definitely did not belong to the ZPD-the uniforms inside the cartons were green and covered with some system of stripes and spots.

"Should we put them on?" Judy asked, holding up one of the uniforms she had taken from the carton. It was sizes too large for her. "It would help us to fit in."

"No." the answer came heavily, "A fox and a rabbit? That's way too suspicious."

He glanced at his partner. She looked downfallen and trod on, her eyes betraying her disappointment. He knew that she would never tell him about it, trying to cover it like the many scars that she had been inflicted with over the years. Nick couldn't help but to feel guilty and suddenly, his mind came up with a brilliant idea. It might fail, but if they could successfully pull it off-their whole plan might just work.

His paws dug into the thick layer of clothes, and soon he was at the bottom of the entire carton. Something special had caught his eye, and if it was really there in the box his complete idea could work out as planned. He smiled slyly as his eyes located the object he had been searching for.

It was a doctor's lab coat, white, unwrinkled, and ready to be used. He whistled, attracting Judy's attention. She looked up, and when she saw what he was holding, she knew that her partner would never abandon her. The coat was in her size.

"Don't worry, I won't look." Nick assured as he ducked behind the last car of the row, stripping off his ZPD uniform and thrusting them into his already bursting pack. He had broken through 3 more cartons until he found just the right size for himself, and it had been too much of a hassle to refit everything so he just threw them back into the boot. He only prayed that nobody was going to use the jeep's soon.

He slenderly pulled out a pocket mirror and admired the reflection of his own image. He was surprisingly handsome in the uniform, deep green with the strange camouflage on it. It was unusually comfortable and light, kind of like the clothing that the soldiers of old wore to battle. He knew they were no longer needed now, but of course, he wouldn't mind wearing something as attractive as this to work! Satisfied with his attire, he went over to the first jeep to see how Judy was getting on.

Funnily enough, she looked like a librarian in a lab coat, the white, oversized pockets swinging around in the light breeze. She was just slipping a few pens into her breast pocket, and in her paws she tightly grasped a huge clipboard, complete with paper. He chuckled. Girls were always so into dressing up. But beneath the disguise, he could see notice on closer inspection the bulges of her tranquilizer. He instinctively patted for his. It was there, tucked into the holster that had been provided with the new uniform.

"Thank God you are dressed." he joked, sliding his paws into his pockets. In his new uniform he suddenly felt like a wholly different mammal….and so did Judy.

"Good morning, lieutenant!" she laughed, saluting at the fox.

"Greetings, Assistant Engineer," he played along, returning the salute.

"Oi, why am I only an assistant?" she retorted, punching Nick lightly.

"At least you don't have to do all the gruelling work...that's my job, lady." he spitted the final few words in a strange accent.

As Nick hastened his pace and stepped in front of her, Judy noticed something expertly stitched onto the back of his military uniform. It was a word, or more likely several letters that stood for an organization.

It was marked _**ZERB**_.

 _ **Z clearly stood for Zootopia, did it?**_ Judy thought. _**What about the others? What did ERB stand for?**_

Nick continued to inspect his own uniform, creasing any wrinkles that appeared and attempting in vain to protect his image he had acquired in his new attire. There were 4 letters woven onto one of his sleeves, in beautiful white cursive type. It made no sense to him and merely struck him as an unknown organization, so he managed to keep the matter out of his mind.

But the message woven into the second sleeve presented much more of a mystery. No matter how many times he had squinted at it from different angles, it didn't seem to be in Zootopian at all.

In fact, it seemed to be in a completely different language. But where on earth was there a second language?

It read, "中国人民解放军"

He had no idea what it meant. Could it be a kind of embroidery? It did seem pretty beautiful on his patch.

"Okay, stay cool Carrots…." he whispered to her as they trekked along a wide, concrete road. Unlike the highway outside it was only recently-built, dozens of tyre marks imprinted on the deep black tarmac. They could have been made only 2 hours ago.

"You be the spokes-mammal….I can't think of anything to say." she replied, her body tensing up.

Nick sensed this and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Doctor Hopps….I've prepared my cover story."

But even he felt nervous as he made out a new fence several yards in front of them, the barbed wire attached on top definitely electrified this time. It was perfectly built, not even a hint of rust on its chain-link.

Even worse for them, there were 2 guards standing menacingly next to a sliding gate, gripping their rifles tightly and staring at them. Like Nick, they were wearing green, identical uniforms.

The fox rummaged through the bag that had been included in the uniform and pulled out a camouflaged patrol cap. Without a second thought, he fit it onto his own head. The soldiers at the gate were donning the same headgear.

" _ **Smart move,"**_ thought Judy " _ **it wouldn't pay to stand out."**_

They both forced a smile when they approached the guards, Nick even lifting up his arm to wave. The soldiers on duty carefully scrutinized the intruders. They seemed harmless enough, a senior lieutenant escorting a defenceless scientist.

"Greetings, corporal." Nick saluted to one of the troops. He only prayed that he hadn't gotten his rank wrong.

"Good morning, sir." he addressed the fox respectfully. They were both wolves, physically towering over Nick. But the undercover cop was amazed by their discipline.

"We just finished checking up on the jeeps….I think they are ready."

"Weren't they packed up just a few hours ago?" the other guard glanced down at Nick suspiciously, raising his eyebrow at him.

He shrugged apologetically, "Yeah, but I guess the doctor wanted to pack in some more."

Judy glared at him. Why was he directing the conversation to her?

The wolf turned to her, studying her face in great detail, his nose even starting to sniff at her skin. Judy tried hard not to show her disgust.

Her paws were reaching for the tranquilizer when suddenly, his eyes lit up and showed a glint of recognition.

"Holy smokes!" he exclaimed, "Doctor Monroe!"

Nick was flabbergasted. He had not been expecting this. Judy too, looked shocked.

The wolf extended a paw, "Tyler. Corporal Will Tyler. It's an honor to meet you here, ma'am!"

Judy chuckled in reply and recovered her composure. She had to act fast.

"Just call me Carrots. Now, I need to get in to recover some data from.."

"Of course!" the wolf answered, and with his partner removed the barrier originally blocking the road. "It's my shame not to have accompanied you this morning, please forgive me."

"It's alright. Lieutenant Kenton was there with me." she nodded at Nick.

"You a lucky bastard, mate." the wolf laughed as he typed in a security code to open the gate. "Getting to have some private time with the Chief Scientist on the site."

"Nothing improper, corporal." he joked, standing in front of the opening gate.

"Hold it." the friendly guard stood in front of them, blocking the way. Nick prepared for the worst, but he could see that he was only smiling.

"This area has been declared a restricted area by the Zootopian Government." he began casually, "You are now entering an area that has restricted airspace and is strictly forbidden for civilian access. According to Security Protocol 2, all mammals whilst on this property are liable and subject to search."

The Government. So they were behind this. Nick was right all along.

"Heh, he's only kidding." the second guard explained as he waved the cops inside. The first of them closed the gate and remained outside.

"Put a good word for me in there!" he shouted.

 _ **Wow,**_ Nick thought, _**who the hell was Doctor Monroe?**_

"Come along, Doctor." the guard called Tyler addressed respectfully, "Where did you say you were going?"

"I was going to recover some data from the…." she came up with a name, "the Containment Laboratory."

"Which one?" the guard was still smiling and rubbing his paws, eager to please.

"The main one." Nick completed the answer for the bunny, "Y'know, she's saved some data in there."

"Sure, follow me." the soldier waved one of his paws and motioned for them to follow him.

They walked along a winding labyrinth of tunnels and corridors, pausing only to open several locked doors with Tyler's ID card. All along the way, Judy struggled desperately to take everything in. They were in an unknown compound, possibly owned by a branch of the government which they had no knowledge of. She had never imagined it would come to this. After all, what did the state have to hide from its citizens?

After a while the three of them found themselves standing in front of a padlocked metal door, a huge warning sign stating clearly that unauthorized access was prohibited. Judy tried to peer inside, but the glass on the metal door was clearly one-side only.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave." Tyler cleared his throat and stated a matter-of-factly to Nick.

"Pardon?" he was genuinely confused. _**Wasn't he a lieutenant?**_

"You belong to the patrol sector, sir." Tyler explained apologetically, yet Nick could see he was glad to be rid of his presence, "I'm very sorry, but you simply don't have the clearance to be in here."

Nick nodded and pretended to understand. _**Clearance? What sort of shit was THAT?**_ It was only the 2nd time he had ever heard the word being used in his life.

"See you later, Lieutenant Kenton." Judy said, sensing his discomfort.

"Stick to the plans, Doc…..the jeeps at thirteen hours?"

"Check." she smiled slyly.

They had already made plans back at the jeeps to prepare for the possibility of separation. Nick would try to haggle among the other guards, and possibly learn a thing or two about the place. Judy, in the meanwhile, would infiltrate the laboratories and if possible, take away pieces of evidence. She only hoped she wouldn't be searched when she left. But so far she had only been treated with respect as someone they referred as "Doctor Monroe."

"Thank you, sir." Corporal Tyler echoed as Nick made his way down to the hallway, "You might be able to catch a snack at the canteen on Level 3."

"Will do, thanks Tyler." Nick replied, the bitterness no longer as well-concealed. Judy immediately felt saddened as her eyes bore into his silhouette, her partner's narrow frame growing smaller and smaller as he lonelily left her to deal with the wolf.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," the wolf punched a code into the electronic lock and used his key to activate it, "I really need to get going. T'was a pleasure to escort you, Doctor."

"You're welcome. You were a great help, Tyler." Judy tried to be warm towards the soldier, for a split moment integrating herself into her pretend-role as doctor.

"Oh, shucks. Call me Will." Tyler opened the door for her and winked.

Then the door slammed shut.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Her sensitive ears could pick up the vibrations as he left the room, his soft footfall sounding like explosions to her hearing. She let out a sigh as he turned around a bend and exited the sector. The bunny was finally alone.

Judy was fortunate that the laboratory was empty at this time of day. Stacks of paper were casually lying around, waiting to be reorganized and sorted into folders. A lone computer in the far corner glowed softly, it's deep blue screen the only illumination that lit up the area. Cautiously, she lifted her arm and felt for the light switch.

The rows of lamps attached to the ceiling flickered into life, the room becoming alive in an instant. She turned around and locked the tall metal door….she had to do her "work" in peace. But as she faced the far end of the room, expecting nothing more than a few more rows of paperwork or devices, her pupils expanded and her jaw subconsciously dropped. Her mind exploded with a million different questions and thoughts-what she saw was far too much for her to take in.

She stared at the object.

The object stared back.


	7. The Sabotage

**Chapter 7: The Sabotage**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Main Surveillance Center, ICED Facility, Xi'an, China.**_

 _ **Time: 5:08 p.m.**_

Chris found himself surrounded by a massive mound of military paperwork, the stacks of reports clustered around him tall enough to crush him and knock him unconscious. He was again left alone in the room, all the others except for Rob already permitted to leave. As he fervently scribbled his signature and skimmed through dozens of other documents that required his attention, he couldn't help but feel uneasy as the clock next to him ticked on, reminding him that every minute he continued to spend in here would cost him another minute with Samantha.

He checked his watch for the millionth time that afternoon and silently wondered where the hell Robert was. He urgently needed his help with a few reports that he had no info on, let alone had the guts to submit to Li. The major had left the room some 15 minutes ago to supposedly take a piss and get a cup of coffee, but Chris naturally suspected something else. He wasn't up to something fishy, was he?

"Okay, I'm done." he declared to himself as he swept aside the torrent of uncompleted reports. He leaned towards in his chair and turned on the silent PC that stood neglected on his cluttered work desk, his resistance finally buckling under the temptation of the computer. He instinctively clicked on the surveillance monitor and did a quick sweep through all the images shown by the security cameras. There was nothing apparent going on.

Or so he hoped.

Chris tapped on a few keys and enlarged one of the screens on the page. It was the camera to the Side Laboratory, where he knew his best friend would be on duty at this time of day. Poor Samantha. They were both stuck alone in dusty rooms with all kinds of shit shoved to them for them to plough through. He sighed in jealousy as he spotted her lean silhouette, her long legs cramped uncomfortably under her own desk. Instead of doing some boring scientific crap she was clicking on her computer, even laughing out loud from time to time. Who knew what she was even doing.

Sneakily, Chris entered the internal communications system and logged into his account. There was not even a ghost in the room, but he still he looked over his shoulder before entering the system, as if the Commander himself was hiding in some ancient cabinet all along waiting to pounce on him. Chris had no doubt his superiors also used the system for fun during work as well….he didn't know anyone who didn't. He smiled lightly to himself and entered the tab that led to his private messaging with Samth. He turned on his blinding overhead lamp and typed in English:

"Hey (Smile Emoticon). What's that you're watching that's making you laugh?"

He almost laughed out loud when he saw her shocked reaction on the monitor screen.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work (Raised Eyebrows)?" came the reply several moments later.

"So I guess your work involves laughing….would've signed up for your job 5 years earlier if it did." he typed

"Fine. I was watching this stupid video of a rabbit on that Chinese version of Youtube. How do you even know what I'm doing anyway?"

"Security cameras. Remember?"

"Stalker." came the reply almost instantly.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he saw her get out of her seat and wave pointedly at the camera. He regretted that he couldn't send a response in turn.

"So…." she typed, "Are you okay for tonight's….uh, outing?"

"Yeah, sure. What am I going to wear anyway? My Sunday uniform?" he joked.

"Maybe."

"Are you crazy? (Angry Emoticon) You just want me to draw attention to myself...we aren't supposed to let anyone know there are troops here."

"Then...do you have a tuxedo?

"Pardon?" he was confused. "Where did you even book?"

"De Fa Chang"

"WTF?" he texted back, genuinely shocked at the name of the top-notch eatery, "Look, of you're trying to flash your salary do it somewhere else...just don't waste it on me."

"I just thought we could enjoy something nice."

"As friends?" he asked.

There came no reply.

Worried that she had gotten pissed off at him or something, Chris clicked on his mouse and entered the security footage of the laboratory. He typed in a few commands and waited impatiently for his PC to load in the data from the cameras. To his surprise there was nothing at all, only a blank image flickering in front of his eyes on the computer screen. Suspecting a mechanical failure, he exited the page and checked on the other cameras in the facility, expecting to see the night shift milling around in their stations.

He was greeted with nothingness from every camera.

Chris began to suspect something going awry. Nothing of the sort had ever happened in the compound, not even in the days when it was only barely occupied. All the equipment employed was top-notch, produced in the best factories from all across the world. The ICED had more spending power than any government or organization on Earth. Not a single power failure had occurred before with the finest of the PLA on watch, let alone a camera footage problem-the security threats it could cause! The system had to be operational at any time of day.

The Chinese lieutenant saw the screen on his computer flicker twice….then turn black. There was no way his computer would suffer from a mechanical breakdown. Something was seriously wrong with the power plant. Apprehensively, he reached for his mouse and clicked furiously, vainly trying to revive the computer to no avail. He looked up intently into the screen, hoping it to at least give off some light and reboot.

Nothing responded at all.

He pulled out his walkie-talkie and switched it to the connection used exclusively for technical difficulties in the area. It was barely used, but he was guaranteed that it was monitored 24/7. Well, Chris had no choice but to trust the system now. The communications would never fail here, would it? He lifted the walkie-talkie to his lips and requested immediate assistance, waiting for the squawk from the other side asking him to confirm his location.

Only silence greeted him. Chris turned it around and double-checked the power source. The machine was definitely on, the batteries inside completely new like everything else. He switched to the numerous other channels that were open to him, listening concentratedly for any signals to come through. There were none at all.

The setting sun in the distance casted peculiar shadows over the scattered belongings of the night shift, who had curiously enough still not returned to the office. Even as a battle-hardened veteran, Feng could feel an eerie shiver pass down his spine. Only he remained with his dead computer, with a malfunctioning walkie-talkie grasped in his sweaty hands.

The soldier trembled, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. It was not his habit to be uncomfortable. In fact, he was taught never to, his superiors drilling him over and over again back in the military. But this time, he was no longer in control. Much larger things were happening that he had no knowledge of.

He feared the unknown.

And the unknown was lurking right outside of the room, a foreign language being exchanged angrily and hastily among Chris' counterparts. There were 2 of them, all donning a completely different insignia on their sleeves and on their caps. The more senior of them waved his hand and gave a command to his colleague. The enemy in the room was completely oblivious to them, no different from a rabbit about to be captured and eaten by a fox. Together, the 2 soldiers lifted up the butts of their rifles, and brought them down onto the door with all the force they could summon.

Chris turned around as the glass door blossomed into a crazy pattern of lines and cracks. He could make out 2 blurry shapes outside the door, undoubtedly other soldiers with hostile intentions. They clearly were not the PLA, or other representatives from different countries for that matter-they would have had clearance to enter the room. One of them yelled at him in a foreign language he couldn't place as another impact from their rifles landed on the glass, the icy transparent surface fragmenting into a million pieces. Even the thick protective layer wasn't going to last for long.

At almost the same moment all of the lights in the room flickered and died, leaving the lone Chinese shrouded in the dark, quivering next to the abandoned workplaces. His eyes felt uneasy as he tried to adjust to the darkness of the emergency lamps, their eerie glow casting his tanned face in a shade of dark red light. Most worryingly of all, the power cut, or whatever it was wasn't only restricted to the Surveillance Center. Chris could immediately notice as the "Hum" died down, the whirring of machinery all around the facility giving way to the disturbing silence. The bulletproof glass continued to crack and shatter as the soldiers outside tried to force their way into the room, their yelling becoming more and more distant to Chris as he attempted to figure out a way to escape. As he concentrated, he thought he could vaguely hear several gunshots emanating from the other side of the compound, the cries of wounded men reaching his eardrum. It was impossible. The mechanical failures, the cut power supply, the gunshots….it all added up to one thing only-Intrusion.

The cracking of the firearms was much closer this time, the distinctive pop-pop-pop of automatic weapons echoing off the walls that lined the corridors next to the Center. He had no idea of knowing who was firing it. Voices outside were begging for help, cursing and trying to outdo the firing of the guns. Chris swore under his breath as he reached for his holster, only to find an empty one-in his haste he had left his service pistol lying inside one of the countless drawers. He leapt over a row of tables and hurtled towards his work desk, toppling over piles of reports as he did so. There was simply no more time to lose.

He rummaged through his many shelves and drawers, the perspiration on his chin and brow slowly dripping down his face. Behind him the extra-protective glass on the door was buckling under the weight of the heavy rifles, the calls for him to surrender himself becoming louder and louder. He was running out of time. Chris sighed in relief as his eyes caught the slender, black muzzle of his QSZ-92, the sidearm he had carried with him through so many battles. He pulled it out and speedily checked the ammunition in the gun. It had 15 rounds carefully stocked up inside the chamber, ready to be used.

The glass on the door shattered and fell to the ground in pieces. Chris barely had the time to fall flat onto the ground as the rounds from their rifles thudded into the desk in front of him, the smell of cordite slowly wafting up into his nose. He switched the safety of his pistol off and waited for his chance. The lieutenant cautiously poked his head up from the safety of the metal work desk, only to duck back down again as the soldiers emptied yet another magazine at him. He winced as the bullets ricocheted against the steel, their constant clanging unnerving him more than the blaring klaxons or the dim emergency lights.

Out of the 2 enemy soldiers that had gathered outside the room, only one had actually entered it, donning a foreign uniform that seemed to ring a bell. They were both holding modern and sleek automatic rifles, smoking from having fired at least 2 full magazines at the lone soldier entrapped in fear within the room.

The insurgent drew nearer and nearer, his companion covering the entrance outside, desperately hollering commands into his walkie-talkie. So the radios still worked! Chris figured that it must have been a well-planned sabotage, a conspiracy that had been organized longer than he could ever imagine. Well, for starters, they had managed to fool the PLA by cutting off the facility's telecommunications system!

There must have been moles serving along with them all along, agents that had been working in collaboration with a foreign organization or government.

He could hear the ringing in his ears as the shooting began to cease, only lone shots in the distance now. The soft footfall of the enemy soldier was coming closer and closer, his boots kicking up dust from the floor. He was going to be right in front of him any moment. Chris pulled out his combat knife and slid the pistol back into the holster. He decided not to draw any more attention to himself, at least not for the time being.

Before he even knew what had happened, Chris lunged towards the enemy soldier, yelling in rage as he tackled him and knocked his automatic rifle to the ground. The weapon clattered onto the floor, sweeping over another mound of paperwork on its way down. The soldier panicked and made a scramble for it, expecting the Chinese man to do the same. Instead, Chris reared back and his boot squeezed the breath out of the soldier as it hit him in the ribcage, throwing him off balance. The force carried him backwards and he crashed into another desk, toppling the computer on top of it.

Feng raced over and delivered a high kick to his ribcage, knocking the breath out of the man. As Chris swung his bare first at the soldier, he expertly deflected the blow, strong fingers gripping onto the Chinese's wrist. No such luck. He stabbed his blade into the insurgent's arm in desperation, fresh blood gushing out from the torn uniform. Yet still the enemy soldier regained his composure, his eyes mad and bloodshot. Ignoring the pain in his forearm, he threw a punch with his good arm at Chris, but the lieutenant professionally dodged the blow and leisurely knocked the man to the ground with a blow to the groin, doubling over with his face contorting in indescribable pain.

The shattered glass next to the door crinkled as the second soldier charged into the room, raising his rifle to end the lieutenant's life. But Fate was still on Chris' side. Before the insurgent had even squeezed the trigger, he had thrown himself behind one of the numerous desks scattered around the room, pulling the fallen soldier next to him. He listened to his breathing. It was rasped, his hands still trying desperately to soothe the area Chris had just assaulted him. He rapidly threw a few more punches aimed at the man's throat for good measure, and turned to face the other guard.

He was spiralling outside of Chris's melee reach, where he would be able to easily cut him down with machine-gun fire if he ever tried to approach him with dagger in hand. It was far too risky to attempt hand-to-hand combat. From time to time he let off bursts from his rifle, its continuous chattering reminding Chris to stay concealed. With the walkie-talkie the insurgent had in his hands, how long would it take for reinforcements to arrive? Fortunately for him, both of his hands were tightly holding the rifle for the time being, the walkie talkie still firmly tucked in his waistband.

Chris glanced at the automatic rifle that the soldier had dropped when he tackled him. It was lying on the floor just a few metres away from him, yet devoid of any cover-he would be fully exposed to enemy fire if he dared to charge out there. He was still considering his chances of taking a potshot with his handgun when the soldier cursed and struggled to reload the magazine. The chattering instantly ceased.

He leapt for the rifle, somersaulting over to the exposed area and snatched the firearm into his own chest. It was bulky and heavy, quite different from the models he had used during the Southeastern Campaign. Chris knelt next to a cabinet and slid out the magazine. It was only half full, the rest already emptied by the wounded soldier in his reckless attempts to sabotage the control room. On the other side of the room, the enemy soldier was rummaging through his waistband, evidently still trying to locate a loaded clip on himself. He was not having much success.

His eyes widened as Chris rose to his feet as agile as a wolf, and squeezed off a round at him. The bullets kicked up the dust on the floor right next to him, and a lucky shot tore through his right arm, severing his green uniform. The sunlight was getting into his vision. The insurgent rolled himself into the cover of a bench and frantically ordered something into his radio, his voice still diminished by the rapid firing of the guns outside.

It was now and never. Chris sprinted over to the damaged bench, the wood already splintered by his bullets, and with his trembling hands fired off a short burst at point-blank range. They cut through his headgear like a hot knife through butter, burying themselves into his skull. He was dead in a second, the walkie-talkie slipping through his now-stilled hands. The insurgents on the other side were still asking him questions in the foreign language he couldn't place, random gunshots mixing in with the chattering. The conflict must have spread through the whole compound by now.

He was about to throw the device out of the windows, hoping to smash it to pieces when somebody ran behind him, the tell-tale sound of the military-issue boots stomping on the floor. Chris turned around with his rifle raised, finger curled on the trigger, expecting a head-on tackle. But to his surprise he found himself face-to-face with Rob, his uniform already filthy and torn, several streaks of blood running down his pale face.

"We...got to go...now!" he screamed, the barrel of his rifle pointing towards the door.

'Hold on there, Major…" he loaded a fresh clip into his gun, confiscated from the bloody arms of the fallen insurgents. "What the hell is going on here?"

Instead of answering him, the American simply face-palmed, his grimy hands leaving caked dirt on his face. Silently, his stealth contrasting heavily with the staccato gunfire in the distance, he went over to one of the insurgents. He picked up one of their helmets and threw it to Chris. The first soldier was still breathing weakly, the lieutenant's blows to him not quite so lethal. The crack of a pistol sounded in the air, cutting through the quietness of the center. Then he was gone, a lone cartridge having dropped leisurely to the floor.

Chris turned the helmet around. It was made up of lightweight steel, the finest type welded in the best factories in the world, probably produced by the US or the EU. He shielded his eyes as the fading sun reflected its rays off the smooth surface. He could make out a tiny flag printed on the side, its white background stained black by the filth that had accumulated on it. In an instant everything fell apart, the events of the past hour finally making sense to him. Outside the sun continued to give out its remaining brightness, as if mocking his immense stupidity-for it was its own image that was printed so clearly on the flag.

A white background. A blood red sun in the middle.

A tremendous explosion rocked the whole floor, and the helmet clattered to the ground. Chris felt his heart beat fast, the adrenaline unceasingly pumping inside him. The sabotage was meant specially for them, to knock out the compound's military force before the Central Government could even find out what was happening.

Samantha's words came back to him. The telecommunications here could easily be controlled, the newest messages not reaching the CCP for weeks at least. Whoever held the guns at the ICED had the power to take over the entire system….along with the mysterious portal she had hinted at.

He glanced out as the wind produced by the helicopter blades rushed into the room, spraying dirt and sand into his exhausted eyes. Even at a distance the red and yellow star stood out clearly from the dark green fuselage, the soldiers on board desperately tending to their wounded comrades. There were at least 6 of them, their engines whirring furiously as they tried to put some distance between them and the compound.

He flinched as one of them exploded into a fireball, the mass of steel and debris slamming into the walls of the facility. A window next to him cracked as a smouldering engine part collided with it, testifying to the crew's sad end. A hint of relief spawned inside him as the 4 or 5 others managed to slip away into the countryside, crawling out of the Stinger's reach.

His heart dropped like a stone when 2 much more agile ones chased after them,, their arsenals armed to the teeth with air-to-air missiles.

"Dude...there's no more fucking time!" Rob repeated, scooping up a few more grenades and stuffing them into his belt, "We gotta get out of this shit!"

"Which way is the fastest to the helipad?" he was unusually composed, not even turning his face around to face Rob's.

"It's no damn use!" the major grabbed his colleague by the shoulder and shook him awake. "They've taken over all the fucking vehicles already!"

"Then I'm going down fighting." Feng whispered, wiping away his sweat with a rag he had produced from his pocket, "It was never our fault."

"Then help me find a way out." he begged, "There are roads into the countryside. We can hijack a jeep or something….we walk if necessary!"

He grimaced slowly and pointed to his leg. Filthy blood was oozing out from the shredded uniform….a stray bullet had buried itself there. "I'm not going to make it."

"Listen to me...Feng, you big, bad son of a bitch. We ARE going to make it, and if you don't, ol' Rob's gonna put you on his shoulders and carry you out." he chuckled a bit, "But if you chicken out like the fucking sissy you once were, he's gonna shoot you and leave you behind. What do you say?"

Chris remained silent. There was still frequent and rapid shooting outside, the gunshots mixing in with the chaotic rumbling of vehicles and screaming of men. He shook his head. It was a mad, mad human world.

"Come ON!" his friend urged him, "We gotta move! If you really wanna die here, at least don't stand like a freakin' rock and let em cut you down!"

"What's the point if we make it out anyways?" he started towards the door.

"We get the fuckin' word out by ourselves…..there are at least a few hundred Chinese in this facility….someone is bound to escape the compound. The more of us there are, the more the chances." he continued, "Look….this facility is located in the most godforsaken of places. Word might just never get out, if they keep playin' poodle and pretending to be friendlies and sending out fake messages to the Central Government. Nobody might ever, ever stop them from fucking around.'

The thought of the Japanese controlling for themselves what the whole world had strived together for 10 years was enough to enrage him. They had been betrayed, not just the Chinese but the Americans and all the others that had contributed to the cause. It was an international venture, for God's sake, not a Japanese one! What superiority did those people have over them to take over everything they owned?

Ron smiled on the inside as he saw his friend grit his teeth, and crack his knuckles. He was firmly on his side now.

"But how are we going to make it out?"

He grinned slyly, "There's a way."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

A few minutes later the duo was charging down the hallway, messily littered by dozens of fallen guards shot down where they once stood, their pale and unmoving arms still cradling their deadly weapons. The notion for revenge inside Feng's heart bubbled and grew as he ran past more and more of them, the several blood red holes torn inside of their bodies reminding himself to stay vigilant. This hallway itself was clear, the Japanese already having totally secured the area. They might as well have been the lone survivors in that particular section of the compound.

There were not much signs of fighting along the corridor. Yes, there were a few empty magazines lying dilapidated on the ground….but everything was still strangely intact. It was as if a whirlwind of death had burst in uninvited and taken away the lives of everyone else. Then it occurred to Chris that it _**had been**_ a whirlwind of sorts, albeit a much more deadlier one-an ambush, a conflict that one could never be prepared for.

"Which way?" Chris asked Rob, who was leading the way a few metres ahead of him, "Do we still have friendlies anywhere?"

Robert paused and double-checked his map. He covered his ears and concentrated, summoning the memories which he had acquired when breaching the Japanese defences in order to reach the Surveillance Centre.

"Not much of our guys are left." he announced solemnly, "The last time I checked around 30 or so of them were stuck somewhere down the Left Stairway, trying to make their way down to Helipad 1."

"Is that close?" he could barely remember where that specific helipad was.

Freeman shook his head. "It's a heavy risk. Only this area is relatively empty. They think that they have secured the place already. Stupid shits."

Chris snatched the map from his companion. "Where else is there fighting going on?" He could make no sense of the diagrams scribbled onto the paper by Rob n his haste.

Robert massaged his temples and submerged into deep thought, "The grand hallway…..next to the Main Laboratory."

The Chinese lieutenant jumped as he heard the name being mentioned. He really hoped that his best friend was alright, still being covered by the PLA troops that remained in the area.

"How many of them are left?"

"Not much than 85 just now….the situation is really grim."

Another sinister thought entered his mind. Could Samth actually be a part of all this? After all she was a Japanese, a representative from Tokyo. But how could it be? She had still been texting with him the moment the electricity cut out, her face relaxed and casual. She had in no way prepared for the sabotage, at least it seemed to be on-screen. Besides, she was merely a scientist,and a junior one on top of all that. There was no way she could have known about the plot.

And of course, they trusted each other so much. How would she be able to bear a secret with such brutality away from her best friend, certain that he was going to get killed during the process? It was completely illogical-he told himself off for even letting such a thought emerge from his imagination. She had sworn to him personally…..she wasn't going to break her promise, was she?

Robert snapped his fingers, "Yo, hey, bro...you alive in there?"

"Yeah, yeah...I am." he replied, returning to his senses, "But how do we get there?" The Main Laboratory was at least 5 hallways down from the Surveillance Centre.

" _ **You! Private Watanabe, Corporal Nagato, check out the corridor! Confiscate any enemy ordnance!"**_

" _ **Hai!"**_

Their cries were not in Chinese, nor was it in English. It was time to move on.

Robert laughed and stared at his Chinese counterpart, "How do you think I fucking got here?"

He looked back at the major confusedly until he jerked his thumb towards a storage room behind them, small and insignificant. He yanked open the door. "Get in there, dumbass."

He slammed the door shut after he had entered the tiny little room, the darkness engulfing the light from the outside. Chris tried his best not to sneeze as his sensitive nose came into contact with the amount of dust inside the room. His hands panickedly scrambled for his torch but Rob beat him to it, turning his own and bathing the entire cleaning chamber in comforting, yellow light.

The soldiers marched right past them, not even bothering to take a second look at the storage room. They were safe….for now.

"Okay...now what?" he asked.

To his surprise the American clambered on top of an ancient wooden desk and lifted up a lid concealed on the ceiling, the torch clamped tight in his mouth There was a small hole, revealing a cramped dark space beyond it. It was a ventilation shaft.

"Which way to the Main Lab?" he whispered as Rob helped him to climb up into the pitch dark shaft. The hole had been a tight fit, barely enough for Chris and his huge pack that he had retrieved from the Centre. He had insisted upon bringing it along despite Rob's protests-it contained almost everything he owned.

"I've got it worked out, trust me." he answered, shining his torch into the endless labyrinths of shafts. The system was all covered with a thick layer of dust, rusty and reeking of waste. It might be the only place in the compound that was badly maintained.

As Chris put the heavy lid back into place, they continued down the passageways of shafts, the ceiling sometimes going so low that he and Rob had to pull themselves flat on their bellies. The air up in the ventilation system was hot and stuffy, and within a few minutes Chris was soaked, nearly suffocating from the stinking sewage that wafted up the many openings that led outside.

From time to time their silence would be broken by distant gunshots from below, the frustrated orders of officers penetrating the walls of the facility. Once a stray bullet even dented one of the steel plates right next to Chris' head, the lieutenant sprawling face down in fear. He pulled out his sidearm, the rifle being too bulky to use in the crampedness of the tiny shaft.

"We're almost there…" Freeman wheezed after almost 15 minutes of exhausting crawling. Chris didn't know if he could still take any more, his arms already paralyzed from pulling his body along. His ears were sick of the constant ringing, his eyes tired of the endless darkness. But now he rejoiced as his senses detected the end of the road, the two worn out soldiers making their way to a larger opening that led directly into the lab.

A tiny seam of light crept into the shaft, exposing a lid with several slits that led to the rooms below. The firing was now much more obvious here, the staccato bursts of automatic weapons once again clouding Chris' hearing. Hell, he could even hear the stammering of several heavy machine guns, accompanied by at least a dozen light ones. Where the hell did they manage to gather so much ammunition?

"Holy shit….take a look at this."

Chris knelt next to the major and shielded his eyes from the bright light below, trying to adjust from the pitch darkness of the shafts. He felt faint, but there was no doubt of what he was seeing. At least a hundred of his comrades were setting up a blockade in front of the Main Laboratory, gathering whatever they could find to use as barriers against the insurgent Japanese. Chairs, computers, lab equipment….they all knelt behind them, only poking out their hands from time to time to fire off quick rounds at the enemy. Several heavy machine guns stood out from among the soldiers, their bulky, black tubes spitting out tongues of fire. Soldiers from all representatives nations were here-American, British, Chinese…..Chris couldn't believe his eyes when he noticed 3 Japanese soldiers supplying much-needed ammo to the heavy machine gun under heavy fire, distributing snacks and bottles of water to the weary Chinese.

"So not all Japanese are traitors…." Chris muttered to himself.

"And not all Americans are friends either." Robert replied, continuing on his way, "Saw a couple of em beatin' up your friends, you mark my words."

"Where did all those troops come from?" the Chinese ducked as a few rounds punched into the steel of the ventilation shaft. Wild shots. He only hoped they hadn't seen them spying on them up here.

"It's a logical rallying point….at least 80 of us are stationed here every day. You could have seen them on the cameras, back when they still worked. Yeah….they cut out the cameras at exactly the same moment the attacks started. I have to say, that was some fucking excellent coordination."

Chris grunted as they reached a larger opening, its slits showing the relative safety of the lab's interior. Nobody was inside anymore, save a few soldiers catering to the wounded and supplying ammunition to the front line. Their agonized cries pained Chris even more-death had never seemed to be so imminent, not even when he served in Xinjiang or the Southeastern Campaign. There had always been a full-out aerial and artillery strike, followed by shock assault missions. They had just been sent to clean up the mess, to occupy the deserted cities destroyed by the continuous pounding.

But as the lieutenant saw more and more soldiers outside being cut down, their bodies bloody and torn from the automatic rounds, he felt sickened-some of the dead couldn't have been older than 20. Yet he could see the Japanese had also paid a heavy toll….dozens of unmoving troops laid lifelessly in front of the barriers, the white and red insignia on their uniforms stained dark with blood.

"Help me lift away this fucking lid…" Chris and Robert found the opening and twisted it from its holder, exposing the hole leading down to the lab. It was going to be a long drop. Chris never knew the room was so huge from watching the security footage.

"I'm going in." Feng announced as he prepared to swing his feet down the opening, taking off his pack and tossing it to the major.

"Not so quickly." he put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back from the square opening, "Throw in the pack first."

It was a smart move on Rob's behalf. The falling pack had indicated where they were, and after communicating briefly with the guards stationed below in Chinese, several of them were able to come over and break their fall. The soldiers catched them in their arm-woven net, and Chris managed to retrieve his bag and placed it on an unused experiment table, littered with broken scientific instruments.

"Chris!" he spun around to see his best friend running to meet him, throwing her arms around his neck. He returned the greeting, leaning in for a quick embrace before separating once again, his face hot from the physical contact. He was not the one for hugs.

Still, he was relieved to see his friend alive and well.

"Where were you?" she folded her arms and asked him anxiously. Her lab coat was crumpled and stained with blood, torn in some places. God knew what she went through. But on second thoughts, he probably didn't look too good himself.

"I crawled through the ventilation shaft. It's not important." his voice was hushed and urgent, "Listen to me. You need to come with us. Rob and I are organizing a breakout…."

"Hold on a minute!" someone behind him roared. It was the American, his Colt drawn in a defensive gesture, "You're not coming with us, you fucking spy."

"Rob...dude, chill out. You know she'd never betray us." he stepped between them and gently put his arm on Rob's gun, pushing it downwards.

"Yeah, and 30 minutes ago we were still sitting safely in the Control Room, waiting for our fucking shift to be over. The world's different now, Chris, it really is."

Another explosion brought a wave of heat to their faces. Samantha's hair ruffled behind her, half-covered with ashes from the fighting. Someone outside grunted as they were shot down, other men racing to take his place. The stammering of the heavy machine guns paused for a moment, before firing again in new fervency. Chris took a quick peek at the battlefield. He could tell their casualties were definitely mounting, the entrance littered with scores of dead and wounded men. They had to organize a breakout as soon as possible.

"Rob….what's the plan? You're the senior officer here." Chris asked.

To his delight the major lowered his gun for a second, and seemed to banish the thought of spies from his mind….at least temporarily.

"There can't be more than 70 of us who can run. I'm sorry to say we have to leave the wounded behind….I can give them the coup de grace if they want it. Ain't trust them in the hands of those damn barbarians. My say is to separate into 3 groups. 2 groups break out and the other will cover them."

"And try to make it out in different directions?" he prompted.

"Yeah, sorta. The 2 groups can divide into more sub-groups when they reach the wild. Helps confuse the Japs and all that…" he continued.

Before long he had explained his theory to the several leading officers still surviving at the scene. There were only a few other majors, lieutenants and various others left standing. Commander Li was nowhere to be seen. Chris couldn't help but feel sorry when he saw those who were left. Most of them were injured in some way or other, filthy field dressings draped across their arms, white bandages hastily tied onto their legs…..it was as if they had been teleported back to the Second World War.

"So that's it." Rob confirmed, and went back to his list. "Lieutenant Song, you'll head up the first group. Corporal Liu will take your position in case of your absence. Major Jiang will break out with the 2nd group with Captain Fang as 2IC. I repeat, only break up in subgroups when you reach the wild and if you are under heavy fire only! Captains, split up the men in your group. Make sure you cater to the nerds on your team." Chris knew that he was referring to the few scientists that had been stranded in the lab after the attack began, as helpless and confused as lambs.

He himself spoke up, in Chinese this time. "Major Freeman and I are staying behind to cover the first 2 groups. I know the chances of us making out are already very slim, but I daresay, those of us who are willing to stay behind and cover our comrades are virtually doomed. Therefore, I wish to only take volunteers for this nearly suicidal task. If you wish to live a day longer, to spend a day more with your wife and children, don't remain here with me. Break out with the others. But if you are a man of valor….then feel free make sure the rest of our friends make it out alive. Now, please raise your right fist if you wish to stay here with me."

Almost all of them raised their fists in fury, even those who were immobilized and lying on their stretchers, previously moaning in agony. Everybody wanted to defend their own country's honor. In the end Chris picked 20 of those who seemed the most able, and in addition with those who were wounded, put them in charge of all the heavy machine guns still under their control. It was suicidal, but Chris knew it was all worth it. They had to get the message out no matter what.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Sensing the imminent collapse of resistance, the Japanese ceased firing and crept over to the barricades, some not even bothering to cover their comrades in front. They had apparently let their guard down. _**It was time.**_

The breakout began almost immediately. Under the cover of dozens of spotlights operated by the scientists, the 15 men led by Chris and Freeman revealed themselves behind the cover of the barriers in a courageous yet suicidal maneuver, all of them brandishing automatic weapons of some sort. The blinding light paralyzed the Japanese insurgents, many of them dropping to their knees with their faces buried under their palms.

" _ **Fire!"**_

A vicious battle cry rang out from all members of Group C as they emptied their magazines at the Japanese, many of them already cut down before they knew what was happening. Their plan was working. They were buying Groups A and B time, diverting the enemy's attention while they stormed two different entrances, shooting wildly at whoever tried to follow them. Wave and wave of soldiers were cut down by the heavy machine guns, yet for the moment none of the Japanese were able to penetrate the phalanx formed by the members of Group C. Chris' moment of satisfaction quickly faded as a fresh platoon of enemy soldiers poured into the corridor neighbouring the Main Laboratory, showering the Chinese with returning fire.

A few men next to Chris crumpled and collapsed to the ground, vainly grasping at their stomachs in pain. Others were simply dead before they even hit the ground, the blood spilling out of the wounds where the bullets buried themselves in. Chris risked a glance at Groups A and B. They had long since vanished into the doorways, the few scientists among them herded in the middle, surrounded by dozens of grunts.

Their diversion mission hadn't been in vain. As the remaining soldiers of Group C retreated back to their original barriers,, Rob cried out in pain as a bullet found its target and ripped through his upper calf, showering Chris' face with blood. It was only superficial, but with the heavy fire coming from all sides it was unlikely that he wasn't going to get hit again. The lieutenant dashed over and hoisted his friend's arm over his shoulder, half-dragging him back behind the safety of the heavy metal doors.

The firing had mostly subsided now, nearly all of the members of Group C killed or wounded. Their mission was indeed deadly. It had been a major success on their half, yet even Rob knew their time was up. The Japanese were closing in on them, occasionally firing off a warning shot, reminding them not to poke their heads out from behind the steel doors.

"Sir! Sir!" a young soldier lying on a bloody stretcher cried, "Over here!"

He couldn't have been more than 20. Both of his arms were broken, wrapped in makeshift bandages to help stop the bleeding. Chris was no medic, but he knew that he had gone past the point of recovery. He understood from actual combat that once a certain amount of blood had been released, there was simply no more going back.

"Yes, private?", he inquired calmly, "What can I do for you?"

"Sir...please….as I fellow soldier, as a fellow Chinese….I….please shoot me, sir!"

Chris stared back at him, barely believing what he had just heard. The whizzing of the bullets over his head was closer this time, each one closer and closer to finding their mark. He huddled closer to the steel doors and said to the young private,

"No, and that's an order. You are to preserve your life all all costs, private. Do you understand me?"

He shook his head sadly and slowly, "Sir….if you were to die at the hands of a foreigner or at the hands of a comrade….which would you choose? Tell me, sir, do you really want to be stuck with a Japanese bayonet?"

"Private, I…"

"Please! Let me die in peace!" the voice was much stronger, the soldier using the last of his strength to pull out his pistol and hand it to Chris.

Hesitantly, he pointed the muzzle at the man's forehead, his fingers unwillingly curling around the ice cold trigger. Why did it suddenly seem so heavy? There was no longer any strength to press on it, to fire one more shot at his own countryman.

"Please! Do it!"

The shot rang through the room, the noise ringing in Chris' ears. He had turned his eyes away instinctively, not willing to gaze upon what effect the firearm had on his body at close range. The private let out a dying breath, and closed his eyes for a final time in relief.

His hands trembling, Feng threw the sidearm to the ground, pushing it away from him in disgust. On the day he had sworn his oath as a soldier to serve his motherland, he had never thought for a moment that he would have to shoot his own comrade. It still seemed so ridiculous to him-he was actually shooting him to save him.

He felt someone leap onto him, dragging him away from the corpse. He frantically reached for his pistol and struggled madly, likely a wild animal injected with some sort of serum. He heard a man curse behind him as his elbow hit him squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling away from Chris.

But it was only Rob. He was now glaring at Chris, his good hand clasped onto his jaw, trying to soothe his pain. There was something happening. Yes, the occasional bullets were still pounding on the steel, someone outside firing in retaliation until they were inevitably knocked out by another short burst. Subconsciously his ears thought they could make out some sort of blaring, so close, but yet so distant. Rob began yelling something at him, but his voice seemed so far away.

The American grabbed him by the collar and grudgingly pulled his legs away from the closing entrance, sliding clear a split moment before the heavy doors would have squashed the young lieutenant into jelly. He was dazed, several gashes in his uniform and his face. Blood was seeping out from the unattended wound in his leg. Chris felt weaker than he ever had before.

"Where the hell am I?"

"WAKE UP!" the cry came from both of them, the major and the scientist. The yelling seemed to jolt Chris back to life, his dazed expression giving way to his usual vigilant one.

"Great to see you back." Samantha grinned.

"Samth? You're supposed to be with Group A!" he was bewildered. "It's too late! Don't stay with me...go!"

"It's not over! There's a way...a way to get out. Only 2 people can fit in there….and I thought...if you guys survived the assault, there might just be a slight chance that you'll get out through this...entity."

"A back door? An escape pod or some shit?" unconvinced, Rob glanced threateningly at her.

"Chris knows what's I'm talking about." she glanced at him, patting the man on the shoulder, "Care to explain?"

Feng rolled his eyes but obliged. "So...Samantha said that there was this weird portal to another world in this building. It is the very reason why we were sent to guard this place, the sole reason why the Chinese Government and all the others concealed it so well."

"I find this hard to believe." he shook his head, "So you have been working on this portal thing all along? Sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel to me."

"I know it does but…" Samantha retorted, crossing her arms.

"Is it as if we have another choice?" Chris finished the sentence for her, "Look, we either die here, or die trying to get out."

"Alright….I don't know what you jokesters are up to, but this man's got a point." he nodded approvingly. "I don't really feel like getting stabbed with a bayonet, both of my hands held helplessly in the air."

She explained the procedure to the two men as they walked to the far end of the room, where the portal was contained inside a specifically-built chamber. To Chris' relief, there was no need to strip off their clothes, as they only had to fit in the 2 pods made to transfer organic matter across the dimensions. Once inside, they would be inserted with some sort of gas to make both of the soldiers unconscious, which was absolutely necessary before the interdimensional transfer took place. It had never been tested before, according to the junior engineer-it was quite literally a leap of faith.

"So that was why they needed that nuclear station…" whistled Rob. Chris knew what he was going through. That man was an expert at hiding his fear, but he had known the American for so long now that he could feel that he was already feeling extremely tense.

"Yes. The portal requires a huge amount of power to be activated."

"Then...will you be able to turn it on?" Chris questioned anxiously.

"Yeah, but I'm not too familiar with the mechanism. I only gained the clearance very recently, you know. Oh yeah, and there's this." she paused for a moment before holding up a sort of computer, the smooth metal surface reminding him of a modern laptop. "It's an Interdimensional Contact System, the ICS. Try to find one when you arrive...we sent some over. Unfortunately I can't afford to let you take one...they'll notice immediately."

"Wait a minute...what the hell is over there?" Rob demanded.

"We still don't know. The research team was working on some drones but I don't have the access to any of them. My bad."

"What about you? Will you be alright?"

She smiled gently at him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Japanese, remember? They'll just put me under house arrest, at most. As for the gigantic energy output, I'll try my best to find a way to terminate the records. I haven't tried before, but-hey! If there's a will, there's a way." she winked at him.

"I don't get it. Why are you helping us?" Rob looked at her confusedly, his hands on his hips. " You know I've never trusted you."

"I did this for Chris, mostly, but for you too. You deserve to live. Everyone deserves to live! Frankly, I don't approve of what my country, at least part of it, is doing right now. Believe it or not, I think it's selfish and reckless."

"I'll go get ready." Robert threw down a few belongings into a tray, to be put into a separate container for transfer. The plan hardly seemed practical to him, but he knew it was worth a try. After all, he had nothing more to lose.

"Hey.." she whispered, turning to the Chinese officer, "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you." he chuckled, aware that time was running short, "You were the first one to be my friend, the first one to offer me guidance. Heck, you even put a good word through to Li up there."

"No," she laughed, "Thanks for trusting me. Thanks for being my best friend."

"What would I have done then? Shoot you?" he suggested jokingly.

"Chris, I just want to tell you...that…"

"Yeah, thanks for being my best friend. Really. You've changed my life, girl, and you know it." he winked.

"I know, but there's something more I must say….." she stepped closer to him.

His face blossomed into red, preparing for the powerful physical contact, embarrassed if she decided to kiss him in front of Rob. But instead she just gave him a little peck on the cheek, throwing her arms around him for a short moment.

Instantly, he felt relieved. But inside his heart, he knew that he was desperately clawing for more.

There was a rapid pounding on the back door, a smaller one made out of thinner steel. It was firmly locked, but it's rusted lock blankly stated that it wasn't going to last for long. Angry voices outside cursed as they struggled to break into the room, a warning shot ringing out in the distance.

"It's time to go! Jap, power up the freaking portal! Chris, you get in there!"

"Aye aye, major!"

Chris swung his pack into the tray and slammed the door for transfer shut. The trays entered some sort of pod and sealed automatically. There was a hiss as a strange gas was inserted into the tiny space, misting up with the glass on the surface. Robert was already lying inside one of the capsules, his forehead creased with wrinkles.

Apprehensively, he crawled into the one meant for him. The surface was hard and icy, sending spikes down his spine. He cricked his neck and winced as the cover closed down on him, banishing the previous glimmer of light from the transfer pod. He shivered. He had always been slightly catastrophic.

Something behind him hissed as the gas gradually filled the pod. He had no idea of what it was, and he clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. But he had to trust her. He had to. She would never fail him now.

Outside of the enclosed pod, the huge amounts of electricity flowed through the underground pipes and wires, more than sufficient to stabilize the portal and to activate it. The process would be over in a couple of seconds.

The world before Chris's eyes swirled chaotically, transforming into a jumble of meaningless shapes and pitch black signs. He no longer knew where he was, his body and mind only existing in a hostile and alien environment. Chris only wanted to go to bed, to drift to a faraway place where no one could ever disturb him. He felt his mind and conscious buckle under the effects of the gas, and before long his vision went totally black.


	8. Collision Course

**Chapter 8: Collision Course**

 _ **Zootopia Year P.E. (Post-Evolution) 2064**_

 _ **Earth Year A.D. (Anno Domini) 2018**_

 _ **Location: Power Station E-14**_

 _ **Time: 6:04 p.m.**_

"Move, move, move!" the unsuspecting corporal could only hear as much before the klaxons began blaring, the deafening noise nearly shattering his ear drums. He watched as the other guards around him scooped up their weapons and ran from the station, the dirty magazines they had been reading scattered all behind them. He was a young wolf, not much over than 20 years old. This was his first time on duty at the facility, only recently transferred from his old barracks back at Cliffside.

'Please,' he prayed silently to himself, 'Don't let it be another failed experiment.'

Little did he suspect that today would be his first time in action. Sure, he had seen several drills back at Cliffside, always at the middle of the night, pesky bastards that he had soon grown tired of. But this was so much different from what he had seen and learnt from conventional warfare. It was real. It was unknown. There were far weirder forces at work here. Nobody in his company even dared to mention the Operation in their daily banter, only occasionally in hushed, anxious whispers.

He struggled to vainly convince himself that he wasn't afraid at all when he grabbed his tranquilizer rifle and made his way to the main station, the laboratory which housed equipment barely imaginable to the normal mammal. Yet he was dimly aware of the fact that his legs and paws were shaking uncontrollably, the barrel of his primitive weapon trembling in his paws so much that one wondered if it could still shoot straight.

More and more doors were slamming now, bewildered officers hollering frantic orders into their walkie-talkies to anyone they knew. It was a mad, mad, animal world. In the distance Corporal Paulus thought he could hear the firing of the tranquilizers and the screaming of someone, but he could never be sure. He slipped in his final magazine clip and began moving. There was no time to lose.

He charged down the hallway, dozens of others joining him as they all were whisked into action under the chilling red lights of the emergency system, the boring monotone of the intercom repeating over and over again for all active personnel to report to the Main Station. The civilians had been ordered to stay put. The wolf suspected that nobody knew what was going on, not even those sick nerds at the very top.

A million thoughts jumbled his mind as he struggled to enter the Control Center, where most of his comrades had now gathered, worried and muttering to themselves. Some had closed their eyes in prayer. There were so many possibilities, so many scenarios in which he always died. Paulus wondered if it was a radiation leak, one of those freak accidents which he knew took out one of their power stations so many years ago. He had been sent to clean it up, and his only wish was never to go through it again.

His vigilant smelling immediately detected the smoke as he took his place next to the containment chamber, raising his rifle in caution. It was not lethal, but it had to do. Nobody had any access to such weapons these days, not even the institution he stood for...well, not since the Purging. But that had been so long ago. There was deep, black smog billowing up into the ventilation shaft inside the massive chamber, separated from the Control Center by a huge, thick piece of glass that was labelled "Bulletproof". The young corporal wondered what that meant.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see quite a number of the top scientists clustering at one of the corners, urgently whispering something under their breaths with their backs turned on the rest of the room. It was just as if there were a bunch of middle-school females, gossiping about all the other mammals who went by. The corporal chuckled a little at the thought, but the atmosphere of the room silenced him. Everybody was afraid, and nobody knew actually what to do.

He subconsciously watched as his superiors walked over to the scientists and demanded answers harshly. The officers waved their fists in the air, their brusque military jargon mixing with the polite hushed whispers of the scientists,

"What the fuck is going on here?" a Colonel demanded.

"We need some answers around here!" another cried out.

"Is it a radiation leak?"

Even as Paulus and several others in his company trained their weapons at the glass, the smoke within the chamber obscuring their view, they could still make out snippets of the conversation. Their voices were as loud as thunder-nobody else wanted to speak.

The anxious gossiping of the scientists took over, their tones much quieter and silenced than their military counterparts. He tried hard to listen in, but only a few words made sense to him.

"Radiation….off-levels…..in contact."

"The portal is…...activated…..the other side."

The young soldier's heart couldn't help but skip a beat when he heard the first few words. The portal only came up in the most serious of meetings, mentioned exclusively during formal occasions, never brought up during polite chit-chat or even banter. The truth might be too terrifying for them to know. It was the very reason why they were all needed, needed to guard the facility.

The portal as functioning. The Others on the alternative side had spoken to them. Something had been sent across.

He picked up the gentle whirring of the newest equipment as the gigantic fans and other fancy devices installed everywhere inside the containment chamber began to function, sucking away any traces of the toxic gases they might have been produced inside. The smoke gradually lifted and through the thick glass Paulus could make out something lying on the ground, several feet away from the Weakness Point, where he knew from the briefing that the space-time continuum was at its weakest.

Check that. A COUPLE of somethings.

He'd have liked to take a better look, but the angle of the Control Center got into his way. It was impossible to stare directly underneath, where some of the smoke was still floating around, the radiation levels inside still off-level from the reactors. The wolf and his companions could still make out some of the unknown items lying chaotically all over the containment chamber, although most of them were unmercilessly blocked by a huge piece of equipment Paulus had no name for.

As much as he wanted to know what lay inside the chamber, he didn't want to be the one to find out. No such luck.

The scientists and the top brass had recovered by now, and were already calm enough to instruct their military subordinates to send someone inside to retrieve the items, their paws jabbing into the air and pointing at the clusters of troops whose faces were pale with worry. Paulus knew what they were all thinking. Nobody wanted to leave the relative safety of the Center and into the radioactive premises of the chamber.

A chill ran down his spine when a heavy paw clamped down on his shoulder, rumpling his perfectly-made uniform. Slowly, he turned his head and found himself staring at the ordinarily stern and unforgiving face of his sergeant, the lone officer whom he respected out of pure fear alone. But instead of looking at an angry superior, the sergeant's face was creased with wrinkles, the fear already betrayed in his eyes. One of his hands was placed next to his holster, the weapon inside ready to be drawn. It wasn't as if it was going to have any effects on the glass. But Paulus knew in his heart what he was about to say. At that moment, he dreaded his fate.

"Go." his sergeant ordered, "Get your gas masks. You're moving in with Unit 731."

"Ar...are you going, sir?" his voice was a squeak, the panic taking over his tone.

"My orders are to stay here." he answered straightforwardly, "Get crackin'. We ain't have all day. Retrieve whatever is in the room to the Containment Lab."

A lump formed in his throat. As always, the sergeant was going to watch him suffer.

For a brief moment he considered turning his sidearm on himself, or even on his quickly dismissed the thought. His weapons weren't even lethal.

He stepped next to the massive, containment gate which was supposed to keep in all the radiation and gases, a bulging mishmash of steel and glass. Paulus had already placed on his mask, silently cursing the barely-functionable filters. Another piece of his bad-luck, perhaps. His sight was misting over, the water vapour in his breath causing him to lose his visibility inside the shittiest excuse of a gas mask, designed to bring only heat and sweat. But he had nothing more to lose. In a way, he was bumbling back to God. Who knew if the gas mask could protect him from the toxic gases produced by the interdimensional exchange.

Before he knew it, the doors behind him were shut down, sealing them to their fate. He tried to comfort himself, convincing the others around him that they might just survive the mission, bring back whatever was in there and be done with it. But the several unlucky ones clustered next to him took no notice of the bumbling bastard that was talking to them. They had already shut their eyes and clasped their paws together, muttering prayers only known to themselves.

The warning lights flashed as the containment door leading to the chamber was lifted inch by inch, the noise still unbearable even in the gas mask. His heart was beating so fast that he felt as if it were going to jump out any second, sparing him the fear that he was facing. But he knew the truth. Fate wasn't going to spare him the easy way out. He gripped the handle of his weapon even tighter, and after making a final prayer, stepped into the misty premises of the feared containment chamber.

Even with the powerful light from his torch he could barely make anything out in the mist, some of the smoke still lingering, refusing to be sucked away by the disposal equipment. He shone the beam above him, and saw the terrified faces of the top brass staring back down at them through the bulletproof glass, urging them to move on. He thought he could see the face of his sergeant, but his sight was too distorted to be sure. It sickened him to see how safe they were, while he was literally trying to survive down here. It was as if they were an experiment.

He froze as his unit approached the things lying on the ground. He counted at least half a dozen objects, varying greatly in size. Hell, at least 2 of them were longer than his body height….

Then reality hit him. Reloading, he raised the rifle to his shoulder, afraid of what was coming next. The creatures were covered in similar uniforms, lying unconscious over the platform which was designed to hold objects sent from the other side. One of them was grasping onto a huge pack, similar to those which he had used to carry his belongings back in the ZERB. On closer notice, their chests were still heaving up and down-but it was evident they wouldn't last long without help.

They were actual living beings, sent by the portal from the outside…..one wondered if they were the Others themselves. Paulus strode over to the bodies and prodded them with his rifle. They appeared to be knocked out, their bodies covered with a strange type of green military uniform full of spots and stripes. Their faces were furless, and instead sickly brown and tanned,although the effects of the portal seemed to have made them pale in color. One of them donned a helmet, made from an unknown metal with an insignia of sorts on it. What they had in their military was probably much more advanced than the ZERB.

As the wolf knelt to examine the furless creature he could notice hundreds of little beads of sweat on its forehead-he was burning up.

What were those creatures? Paulus thought to himself. Were they some sort of sick, furless specimen that needed to be quarantined from the rest of the population? He could hardly imagine living without any fur at all-to him, it was no different from being naked.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The creature groggily opened his eyes and squinted, adjusting to the low light level in the room.

He didn't know where he was. He was a soldier, a representative from the United Nations, the country he stood for in charge of the experiments which he had guarded. The soldier could remember that he was on the run with his companion, escaping from a government that had betrayed the coalition with a wicked intention….hell, his head felt as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a guard kneeling next to him, doing something to his partner…..

Instinct took over Paulus's mind, and before he could even realize what he had done, the corporal delivered a punch directly into the furless creature's face, hitting it squarely in the nose...or whatever it was. The creature doubled over on its back, its nose erupting in a fountain of blood. Paulus jumped to his feet and pointed his tranquilizer at the being, wondering if the creature was as terrified as he was at that moment.

The unworldly soldier lying on the ground could notice the tall guard beating up his companion, already caught by surprise and had fallen to the ground badly wounded. At that moment he could feel the rage bubbling up inside him, his uncontrollable anger no longer able to be contained. His mind was still madly processing what he had just saw. The creature closely resembled what seemed to be a wolf, although it stood on two legs and could fight with its fists. It made no sense to him….it didn't fit anywhere on Earth.

Trembling, his pale hands reaching for his sidearm, the QSZ-92 that he was so proud of. He was proud to be a soldier, proud to be a human serving his country.

As Paulus backpedalled away from the carcass he could feel something rip clean through his torso, so swift it felt nothing more than a dull thud. His ears could register the crack of a weapon right next to him, so loud that it was almost impossible. Blood was a weird colour, darker than he had ever expected-and now he was soaked in a pool of it. He could feel himself slipping away: the bewildered cries of his colleagues had never seemed so distant. The wolf thought he caught a whiff of cordite, but he had no idea of knowing for sure.

It would be the last thing he would ever smell. His body twitched as the human fired 3 more shots at point-blank range into the corporal's heart. The split moment before he breathed his last, he grunted in satisfaction as he saw the rest of his troops beat the creature down, kicking him in the ribcage and disarming him. What they would do to him, he no longer cared. He only wanted to sleep, to rest, to go to a place where no one would ever bother him again. Slowly, his eyeballs rolled up, and his good strong heart pumped its final drop of blood.

Corporal James Paulus was the first one to be killed in combat during Operation Gotterdammerung. He would not be the last.

"What the hell is that thing?" the scientist exclaimed as he poked one of the creatures with his tongs. It flinched and stirred, the effects of the anaesthetic gradually wearing off. "Johnson, help me administer more chloroform….we've got to knock this thing out."

His assistant nodded and carefully measured the liquid inside the syringe before puncturing the creature's arm with the needle, hastily pressing down on the plunger. It writhed as the medicine entered its bloodstream, struggling weakly against the strong paws holding it down on the experiment table hidden in the main laboratory.

The entire compound was in lockdown, all of the active personnel on duty at their battle stations with no exceptions. Perimeter security had been doubled, more and more convoys being sent out to patrol the area. It had been an order from the very top of the ZERB itself.

A dozen heavily-armed soldiers stood vigilant outside of the main laboratory, where a cluster of the top scientists, including Sturmer himself had gathered. They had not been expecting such an abrupt delivery from the other side, let alone a transfer of organic matter…..it was a miracle that they had amassed enough energy to stabilize the portal to such an extent! The contact with the Others, or the Chinese as they liked to be called, had only started for around a year or so. Of course, there had been an unspoken rule of prohibiting the transmission of any creatures from either side. It was simply too dangerous for both of the worlds.

"What now?" another scientist whispered anxiously as the creature fell back into its deep sleep, the weird uniform it was wearing bloodied and filthy. Sturmer began to suspect a conflict on the other side, in which these unworldly soldiers had been sent through the portal as a means of escape. Were they even soldiers? Sturmer had sent for some others to hide away the weapons that had been confiscated from the beings, stored in strong boxes and concealed in some unknown storage room. They were much more lethal than anything they had known.

"Should we tell the Others? The Chinese?" he prompted, urging an answer from his superior.

"No.", he replied, holding up his paw for silence. He was already aged, his face wrinkled from the decades of hard work. "We must not do anything to jeopardize the trade between us. Remember the pact, gentlemen, the Pact."

A few of them nodded in agreement. The Others had offered them so much that they had never dreamt of, uniforms, technology….heck, the only things they still needed were weapons! Actual, lethal weapons that Sturmer was willing to die for. But Zhao, whoever he was, had insisted upon waiting for the time being. Their plan might epicly fail if anything messed up their delicate relationship.

"There is also another reason." Sturmer continued, "Know your enemies."

"Sir?"

"We do not know who they are and what threat they may pose. We know nothing about their strengths, weaknesses, both physically and technologically. Maybe this thing will help us get some answers."

"We share the same language, sir." a leopard at one corner of the room replied, 'It won't be too hard."

"Good. Do whatever it does to crack them open. Just don't let the Chinese authorities hear about it."

Sturmer stretched out a paw and stroked the fabric of which the alien uniform was made. It was exactly the kind they had sent them, complete with the scribbles inscribed on it that he had no knowledge of. The opportunities these beings presented him with was unimaginable. His ancient body trembled in excitement as his dreams went wild in his mind.

"Sir, I have a special request."

"Shoot." the old professor smiled a toothless grin.

"Can we cut one of them up? We need to check out their biology, what they are made up of…"

Sturmer quickly scanned the two beings. One was tall and lean, while the other was shorter and stocky. The latter was in a really bad shape, wounds in several parts of his body already bleeding out before his very eyes. Hell, it wouldn't even last for a few more hours, anyway.

"Take the shorter one. It's gonna die anyway."

"So we interrogate the second one when it awakes, sir?"

"See to it. Make sure it's under surveillance and containment 24/7. Authorized personnel only." was the swift answer.

The scientists grinned and saluted to their boss, already eager to get to work and cut up the alien with whatever means they needed.

"Loyalty." they mumbled.

Outside of the room, 2 soldiers stood observing the hullabaloo in silence, the dim lights from inside the lab casting an eerie shadow into the hallway in which they stood. Dozens more of their colleagues stood to attention, their paws grasping their rifles until the turned white.

"My dad always said they'd come." one whispered to her partner. They were both huge timber wolves, athletic and well-built.

"Pardon?" the light in the corridor flickered.

"We can't be the only ones, can we." she chuckled, but there was no humor in his eyes.

He shrugged, "I guess so."

"But he also said another thing."

"And that is?" he asked.

Her brown eyes glimmered in the darkness, "He also mentioned that….he only hoped he wouldn't be alive when they finally came."


	9. Doctor Hopps

**Chapter 9: Doctor Hopps**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia: P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Power Station E-14**_

 _ **Time: 2:20 p.m.**_

Judy Hopps was appalled beyond imagination, more terrified than she ever had been on any crime scene. She simply couldn't believe her eyes-her mind refused to accept the reality that she was presented with….no mammal, no matter how sick or deformed, deserved to be treated in such an atrocious manner. The bunny thought her training had taught her everything she would need about handling violence, confident that all her experience with crime would allow her to handle this easily. But the instant she lay her eyes on the creature, she knew that Fate had slapped her squarely in the face-no amount of training could have prepared her for this.

He was strapped to a slanted experiment table of stainless steel, hard plastic straps attached to his limbs restricting his every move. As her eyes painfully scanned the creature, she couldn't help feeling nothing but the utmost pity for it….the being looked horrendously malnourished, perhaps even badly beaten. The countless scars inflicted on his face testified to it, the crimson stains standing out from the grave paleness of his face. To her relief, his bare chest or whatever it was (there was no fur on it all) was still gently heaving up and down, albeit so weakly that she could only notice it upon closer inspection.

Judy winced as she noticed the terrifying state the containment room was in. Even through the thick layer of glass, her vigilant nose could pick up the horrible stench from inside the room, the creature's perspiration and waste slowly dripping back into the sewers. Sewage was splattered all over the creature's hairless body, from dirt to substances that she had no interest in finding out. For a moment she felt disgusted at the being for making such a mess of itself, but then she realized that he had no other choice-whoever was in charge had made sure he could not move in any way.

At the same time anger overcame her. What the ZERB, or whatever they were called had done was totally unacceptable to her-no organization, not even a gang of thugs, could bear to do such a thing to a fellow mammal. She felt revolted, revolted by what her fellow mammals were capable of inflicting upon their brethren. The creature was stark naked, but in her panic it simply added to the disgust she had for the organization and all those who worked for it. At that instant, she almost felt like throwing off her lab suit and weeping on the ground. She had never expected to find anything like this.

She averted her glance and tried to calm herself down, summoning the inner strength that she had acquired during police training. As she turned her gaze to the opposite side of the room, Judy found herself facing another window to a chamber of a similar size. Her feet gave way beneath her, tears flowing out of her eyes from pure fear alone. Nothing on Earth could compare to the amount of pain the creature must have went through before it died.

There was a second being lying on the icy metallic table, yet so horrifyingly disfigured that Judy dared not rest her eyes upon it for long. Blood was oozing out of whatever was left of its body, several amputated specimens scattered on the workbenches. There were dozens of horrendous metallic tools that she had no name for inserted into the flesh, a ghostly shade of crimson coating the layer of stainless steel. Its body was covered with filth from head to bottom, and Judy could make out its tattered uniform discarded at a side. To her shock, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the type Nick was donning.

Before she even knew what was happening, Judy was sprawled on her knees, what remained of her last meal spilling out of her mouth and onto the icy floor. She was faintly aware of the horrendous stench she was producing, but she reasoned with herself anybody with even half of a normal conscience would have done the same.

The bunny cop forced herself back onto her feet, holding whatever remained back in her stomach. She had to be vigilant….fear wasn't going to get in her way, not now, when she had already advanced so far. It might be far too late for the dead creature, but Judy was determined to do whatever she could to help the surviving one escape, no matter the cost. She was doing her duty as a police officer, as a citizen of Zootopia. Judy had no idea at all what or where the creatures came from, but in her mind only one thing was for sure-no matter how unordinary they were, every mammal was still entitled to their rights. Every living being was worth a price.

Calmly, she picked up a mop lying against a wall next to her and cleaned up the mess she had made. She could not afford to leave behind any evidence of her identity. Judy had learned enough from dealing with detective work never to be so careless.

Facing the other creature, the bunny picked up a piece of paper and a black marker. She only hoped they shared the same language. It was her only to try and help him.

Gently, she scribbled out a message and held it against the glass for the creature to see.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

So it had all come to this. Enslaved in some foreign containment laboratory, dozens of gloved hands poking sharp objects into his body every single day. He didn't even have a vague idea of how long he had been there. Chris was stuck in an endless cycle of dropping unconscious and awaking again, only to be seduced mercilessly by the masked beings. They had done nothing at all to administer his wounds, not even covering it with a makeshift bandage…..he was slowly bleeding his life out, dying in front of his own eyes. The anaesthetic they always administered somehow had no use in soothing his pain-he only knew everything in him was sore from the numerous rounds of experiments.

To his surprise there was no one around, the silence more unnerving than the usual bustle that had tormented him. The rows and rows of terrifying instruments made only to terrorize him now lay idly on a bench right next to him. Chris tried weakly to extend an arm, but nothing responded-its entire length, save his palm, had been shackled to the table. He swore….he longer had power over anything, not even over his own body. In the brief moments when he was barely conscious, the lieutenant had tried contemplating of an escape, yet only blankness came to mind. The game was up at this point-he probably should have faced the Japanese bullets instead. But now he was going to be taken apart one by one, just as how Rob had been treated. At least his death had been swift.

Hell, they'd taken away everything from him. His eyeballs squinted and could vaguely make out the bulk of his pack at the far side of the room, crammed in a tiny plastic container. A part of him screamt to be let free, urging to lunge towards his pack and run away towards freedom. But Chris simply knew that those were merely childish fantasies-he was chained, he was being surveyed 24-7. There was no way of escape. The Chinese lieutenant was dimly aware that he was naked, but of all the things that were happening to him right now, that was the least of his worries. There was nobody here left to scrutinize him anyway.

Check that-there was someone. He was a fool for thinking that they'd leave him alone in peace for a second.

It was some sort of rabbit. What was she? A genetically-engineered hybrid? Something must be seriously wrong with his mind. First an interdimensional portal...and now talking animals? Could this be some sort of insane purgatory specially made for him? He wearily opened his eyes again, expecting to be left alone with the "apparition" nowhere in sight. But instead it was still standing there, staring attentively at him. The bunny, or whatever it was, was around 3 feet tall on its hind legs, its eyes bulging wide as if it had never seen a human before. On second thought, it probably never had.

She...Chris could feel that it was a female for some reason, was wearing a lab coat completely identical to the ones that his torturers had donned, immaculate like that of an angel of doom. He sighed even deeper as he thought of Samantha. He was probably never going to see her again. The young soldier half-expected her to barge into the room and to insert him with some sort of anaesthetic, but instead she stood frozen where she was, her face contorted in shock. Chris looked at her in confusion. Was she actually….shocked? So far these talking animals, or whatever they might be, didn't give him the impression of being very empathetic.

He wondered if this was God's punishment to him, a sick scenario where the roles of Man and Animal were reversed. Sure, lay it on him. He had eaten his share of meat in his life, from dogs to rabbits. What was coming to torment him next? A fox? The bunny was already making him feel extremely guilty, the grumbling in his stomach reminding him of her counterpart that he had eaten some time earlier. He moaned in starvation. Chris hadn't eaten in a very long time...God knew how long it had been.

The bunny had turned her back on him, exposing her narrow and wiry frame. She seemed to be frantically scribbling something on a board, the squeaking of her marker rippling the silence within despite the padlocked doors. He stretched his neck in curiosity-what was the little scientist going to do? Again, he was bewildered by the situation he was placed in. Animals who could stand on their hind legs, dress in clothes, and even write? It all made no sense to him.

She soon finished her handiwork and turned to face Chris again. Her face was anxious and filled with sympathy….for him? Way to go, bunny. Could she possibly get him out of this place? Chris told himself off for daydreaming-there was no way they could communicate. They probably didn't even share the same language! Her furry arms were nervously clutching a piece of paper, a pen tucked into the pocket of her shirt. What was she doing? Was she actually trying to send him a message?

She smoothed the piece of paper and held it up high for him to see. Only now did Chris realize that it wasn't blank at all...she had written something on it with the marker she had. He squinted and tried to make out the scribbles under the brightness of the laboratory lights.

It wasn't in Chinese. No such luck. Feng was still frustratedly trying to figure out which kind of language it was when reality hit him squarely in the face-the bunny was writing in English.

Was it even possible? The mere thought of two completely different civilizations sharing the same script, let alone identical languages was simply unbelievable to him. It wasn't as if there had been any cultural exchanges between them before, like how the Japanese and Koreans shared the Chinese writing script through centuries of Sinosphere influence. Could there have been a common ancestor? Millions of weird thoughts immediately overwhelmed his mind, but he concentrated and swept them aside. He needed to know what the creature had written. It might be his only chance to regain his freedom.

There was only one line hastily scribbled onto the white surface.

"Do you understand me?"

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Judy sighed in relief as she saw the creature slowly nod its head. By this point she was fairly sure that it was a male, having risked several careful glances at his sexual organs. _**Gosh-the things that she had to endure.**_

So he understood her. Fascinating. Her mind spinning from her recent discovery, Judy presumed that he probably came from the same world as she, although she had never seen anything like him before.

The confidence growing inside her from her tiny triumph, she turned around and crossed out the message. Underneath it, she scribbled on another sentence.

" _ **Are you in pain?"**_

Forcing herself to smile, she looked at him and revealed her newest message. The creature stretched its neck to take a good luck but soon laid back down onto the table, utterly exhausted.

Judy Hopps heart nearly broke as she saw him slowly and painfully nod his head at her, a grimace displayed on his tormented face. A desperate gulf of sadness was betrayed by his very eyes, the beautiful brown color bearing into her.

" _ **How can I help you?"**_ she wrote again.

It almost...no, it _pained_ her to see the tortured being mouth the 2 words:

" _ **You can't"**_

In an instant, Judy had made up her mind. The creature may have been a serial killer, an arsonist, but none of these worries continued to affect her in any way. She had been a brave, courageous, and responsible officer. It was now the time to be a selfless one.

Mustering all her courage, she groped for an entrance into the laboratory in the darkness.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The lieutenant was bewildered. First it was the messages, and now what? The bunny was evidently trying to find a way into his room, trying on different doors and twisting their handles. She wasn't having much success. Was she really friendly? Or was she a variable, thrown into the room as some sort of experiment? He had no way of knowing. Chris's heart continued to beat faster as he recalled what she had just done with him: He could distinctly feel that she was genuinely appalled at his condition, streams of tears nearly flowing out of her eyes. He didn't even know any humans with such a kind heart, let alone for a battle-hardened veteran like himself.

The lights flickered weakly as a side door slammed open. Chris flinched, his hands reaching for his holster only to be harshly reminded that he had long since been disarmed. He expected the troop of scientists marching into the room, brandishing their terrifying scientific instruments and subdue him endlessly with their anaesthetic. Chris sighed. Was it going to end here, this way? It seemed so undramatic way to go, a quiet death in a foreign laboratory. He shut his eyes and prepared for the hands...or paws that were going to squeeze at his body until he finally left this world in pain.

But instead of the clanging of boots on the metal floor, there was only a soft footfall in front of him, a light gasp, followed by the hushed sound of somebody's breathing. Immensely relieved, he opened his eyes and found the bunny staring back at him. Out of a sudden, he felt embarrassed to be naked in front of her. "Come on," he thought to himself, "She's just an animal...an ANIMAL, dammit. I'll bet she doesn't even mind." The rabbit curiously scrutinized his face, her beautiful violet iris leaving a lasting impression on his memory. Chris found himself drifting away in her gaze, wondering if he had ever seen a human, let alone an animal with such a wonderful expression.

They stared at each other in silence for a few more moments before she gingerly stretched out an arm, and tapped Chris lightly on the shoulder sympathetically. Her eyes glinted under the shining light, a tiny smile creeping onto her face. The courage the bunny must have had….Chris found himself applauding for her on the inside, in awe of her bravery and selflessness. He was in her eyes a totally unknown species, an alien, but yet she dared to enter his confinement to comfort and help him. Unbelievable. Chris doubted if he would do the same if their roles were reversed.

" _ **Are you okay?"**_ a voice questioned.

He looked around panickedly, searching for the human that must have produced the voice. But still there was nobody in sight. His mind began to consider the impossible…

"Hey...you there?" the voice was clearly feminine, warm and friendly on top of all that. Startled, he glanced at the space in front of him. The bunny was cautiously waving her paw at him, attempting to capture his attention-There was no denying it. Chris had seen her lips move, the sound coming from her mouth. But...there was no way it could be true!

He felt faint. The laboratory, the grey blob, the bright lights all around him swirled and twisted into abnormal shapes and colors. Could it be the effects of hunger? At that moment, he felt so thirsty that it actually hurt to swallow, his lips cracking from the dryness alone. Chris felt a paw pull his mouth slightly open, and before long a steady stream of water was flowing into his throat, cold and relaxing. He sighed. Pure water had never seemed so delicious to him, not even during his time in Mongolia.

Refreshed, with the foul taste inside his mouth partially removed, he slowly adjusted to the light to see the bunny screwing on the lid of a metal canteen. She gently slid it back into her pocket and lifted her head up to meet his gaze-she was waiting for him to say something.

"Thank...thank you for the water…" was all he could croak, his throat still sore from dehydration.

"It's good." she replied soothingly. It was her composure that surprised Chris the most. With his experience with rabbits he knew they were very timid, especially with beings that they were unfamiliar with.

The courage this doctor had was unimaginable.

"My name's Judith Hops, but my friends call me Judy. **You** can call me Judy if you like. Ummm...what's your name?" she withdrew her paw from his shoulder.

" _ **This is not the time for pleasantries."**_ thought Chris, but he kept his mouth shut. He owed this bunny thing a huge deal. "It's Chris. Chris Feng."

She lifted an eyebrow questioningly, which was extremely unusual as rabbits he had seen only showed expressions of fear or terror. "Fang?" she gargled the word in her mouth.

"No, it's F-E-N-G...plea...please help me."

"How? What happened to you?"

"The pain…" he moaned, "Something to soothe the pain...owww...it's getting worse."

Judy nodded anxiously. "Let me see what I can do for you."

It didn't take an expert to know he was in a relatively bad state. There were gaping scars all over his torso, flakes of filthy, dried blood scattered randomly everywhere. There were also quite a number of sores as well, mainly located on his neck and parts of his face….he must had been badly beaten. The soldier was groaning in pain, his furless hands that were strapped to the table vainly trying to scratch at his wounds. She needed to get him painkillers. Fast.

To her horror there was an enormous opening on what seemed to be his upper calf, streaks of blood marking the affected area. Apparently something sharp and fast-moving had buried itself in there. She tried touching it with a clean piece of cloth, but quickly withdrew as Chris cried out in pain. It was much deeper than she had thought. Surprisingly, something metal glinted under the bright light from inside the wound.

"It's a bullet wound." he panted exhaustively, "You….you gotta stop the bleeding."

And it was true. It wasn't only the excessive loss of blood either, although his wound already seemed very serious. With the large amount of scars inflicted onto his body, the infection might just do him in before the ZERB maniacs got to him. Her mind struggled to recall the lessons she had at the academy. As a police officer, she had had her fair share of lessons concerning medicine…..but she had to admit, after years of not revising she really had become quite rusty. The bullet wound, or as Chris had called it, definitely needed a speedy field dressing….maybe even an operation to remove the splinters inside. Judy vaguely remembered a specific lesson about those, but...but she had never tried applying it on a real, living animal before. She only hoped that the drills would pay off here-she couldn't risk killing him at this point.

"F….f...fentanyl...and _阿莫西林…_ amoxicillin" the creature mouthed weakly, "It's hurting so bad...my side…."

"Fentanyl?" she suggested.

"Yeah….that's it." he confirmed, "Painkillers….anti-infection medication…"

Judy immediately sprang into action. There had to be a first-aid kit in the room somewhere. She only hoped it wasn't going to be too late when she could finally locate one in this mess. The bunny cop frantically pulled out drawers and cabinets, slamming them in disappointment, rummaging through fresh shelves of documents…..until she finally found a brand-new emergency kit hidden under a workbench, buried under a heavy stack of paperwork.

She opened up the box and found piles of various sorts of medicine, all stocked up ready to be used. Judy picked them up one by one and turned them over, reading their blurry labels, struggling to find the one she needed. Gosh, she only prayed that she still remembered how to handle them. It had been so long since she had last administered them to anybody.

After what seemed like an eternity later, Judy sighed in relief. There was a small container of fentanyl and another filled with a quantity of amoxicillin, together with a batch of bandages that she would need for the field dressing. Carefully, she removed them from the kit and placed them on the ground next to her. Next came the hard part….she had to estimate the amount he needed, based on his size. From her training the cop could barely recall the amounts needed for different kinds of mammals, but she couldn't be entirely sure. He was about 1.8 metres tall, or maybe 70 kilograms in weight…..they were merely pure estimates, and Judy prayed that her instincts wouldn't let her down.

Officer Hopps measured the right amount of amoxicillin, and gently poured some into a syringe she had found in the emergency aid kit. There was no IV in the room, and an injection would have to do for now. Slapping Chris's arm to find a vein, Judy cautiously pressed down on the plunger and inserted the needle into his body. He was struggling to remain calm, both of his hands gripping the armrests whilst dripping with perspiration. Chris panted and urged the bunny to work faster. The amoxicillin was only the first step, the protection for his wounds against infection. There was still much to be worked on.

Following all the instructions detailed in her textbook from years before, she poured some fentanyl into another clean syringe that she had found in the box. Judy looked for an area to puncture his skin with the needle. The area near the calf, where his wound was seemed to be the best option. She vaguely remembered her instructor yelling at her during first-aid practice for not administering the anaesthetic near enough to the wound. Or was it for being too near? Taking a deep breath, she pressed the plunger down and let the numbing agent flow through the human's body.

He winced as the needle punctured his badly-wounded skin, but as the effects of the fentanyl kicked in he let a heavy sigh and let go of the armrests, his hands sore from all the grasping.

Satisfied with her handiwork, the rabbit stepped back to take a look at the creature. He was no longer groaning, and was instead staring at her with dreamy eyes. The effects of the fentanyl, perhaps? While she was glad that her medical aid had helped him in some way, the growing pool of blood from his bullet wound continued to worry her. If Judy did nothing then it was very probable that he would die of blood loss. Yet she had had no experience with this kind of job, none of the victims she had encountered during her years as police officer requiring this kind of emergency treatment.

"You can't just wrap the bullet wound." Chris explained. His voice was steadier than before, "You gotta remove the bullet. Do it, I'm ready for you."

She looked around, "I need a blood clotting agent, something that will stop the bleeding."

He seemed deep in thought, "Use some...what do you call that in English? Ah...the _止血剂_ …the Hemostatic Agent."

Judy fumbled for the kit box and raked through it, discarding the equipment she didn't need around her. To her relief the substance still hadn't expired, almost as good as new. Judy opened it up and sprinkled some of the blood-clotting agent onto the bullet wound. Chris felt nothing, and instead watched on intriguingly despite the dreaminess that followed the administration of Fentanyl.

Next came the hard bit. Hopps located a pair of forceps from the box and cleaned them with a tiny bottle of alcohol that she had salvaged. Its strong smell stung her nose, but she finished the cleaning and turned to face the gaping wound in his leg. It wasn't going to cause him any pain, the Fentanyl already showing its effects. She only prayed that the shrapnel inside wouldn't damage his arteries or somewhere important.

The bunny cop leaned closer and inspected the wound. There were a few large pieces of shrapnel from the projectile Chris had called a bullet, and it had penetrated deep inside the skin. It glinted under the lights and sent out glimmers of brightness, as if mocking her helplessness. Judy felt the stress build up inside of her. It was the sole job that she could not rely on any work experience for-she had to trust her gut entirely, and she wasn't completely confident about that.

Gingerly, she stretched out with her forceps and reached for the first piece of metal…..

The mission was over in no more than twenty minutes. The bunny let the forceps fall to the ground, knowing she would need them no longer. She had actually succeeded in removing most of the larger pieces, although she knew he still needed a real surgery once he had the chance.

Judy took another deep breath and tore off a section of the bandage. She pressed it against the major wound with her paws, trying her best to slow the bleeding. The white surface of the gauze was immediately stained crimson, with a steadily growing hint of brown from the filth on his body. Ignoring her own disgust, she continued to press strongly until the bleeding finally subsided. Pleased with her own work, she wrapped the bandage around his upper calf, surrounding the wound with layers and layers of gauze.

The bunny wiped the sweat off her paws and forehead. It had actually worked, despite her heavy doubts. The bullet wound was now covered in her application of gauze, what remained of his blood contained inside of the wound. He still looked slightly dazed, probably from the blood loss. But even Judy could notice that he seemed to look better, his mouth no longer as dried up as before. Chris cleared his throat.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. In case you were worrying, I mean you no harm. I am called a human, and we live all over the globe. We know nothing about your world until now….I came through this portal which I had not known about, and was captured by your friends. They killed my companion, and confined me to this place. I...I nearly died, but thanks to you...I'm better now." he spluttered.

Portal? All over the globe? Judy gazed wordlessly at him, unsure of what to say.

"You probably think I'm a _杀人犯_ ，a serial killer, don't you? I don't blame you, Judy. That's why I'd be left to rot in a place like this, eh? But I'm not, I'm innocent….and you have to trust me, please! I really, really don't want to die here."

Her mind flashed back to the second containment room, where the decomposing human lay rotting. At that thought she instantly became nauseous, but she managed to steady herself. Nobody, not even serial killers, were subject to such cruel treatment. It was against everything she had ever stood for as a police officer.

Judy nodded slowly, "Maybe. I haven't seen any of your kind before, let alone in the Metropolis. You don't look like you'd be running rampant in the city killing people either. And what did you mean by portal?"

He shook his head, "I only have a vague idea. My government...they were trying to find some sort of energy...but instead they created this portal that led to your world. But of course, they had no idea of that. We have no harmful intentions, Judy. It was...it was until one of them betrayed us that I had to escape here through the portal. I...I never knew I would be locked up here."

She looked bewildered, "Where do you come from? I haven't seen any of your species in Zootopia before. Do you live underground, or do you…" her voice became hushed, "live beyond the border?"

"Woah...woah, slow down." Chris raised his hands in surrender, even though his arms were still being shackled to the table. "To answer your question, I am a human. A Chinese to be specific. I came from Xi'an, although that's not my original birthplace, a major midwestern city in the People's Republic of China. And I assume you don't have any humans in this Zootopia place you mentioned?"

The bunny...Judy put her paws on her hips and said, "No, not at all. There are thousands of kinds of mammals here, from elephants to mice, and the city caters to every one of them. But to be frank, no. I have never seen anything like you ever before….please pardon my words." she apologized shyly.

"I can't imagine a lot of places on Earth where you cannot see humans like us. And I'm sorry, but I have never heard of "Zootopia" or what it is….it would be plastered on every media outlet by now if we knew where it was. I guess we're everywhere….which country do you come from?"

"Country?" she replied puzzledly, "Zootopia is a city-state. I have never heard of Chinea…"

"China." corrected Chris automatically. It was a lot to take in. For the soldier, it was like listening to the fairy tales of old, a Utopia where everybody held their hands and sang "Kumbaya". He had long since known it was impossible, but now the lieutenant was listening to a talking bunny describe how she came from a city-state where animals, of all things, lived together in harmony.

"What happened to you?" she asked, glancing at his wounds, now treated with amoxicillin and gauze. To her delight, they no longer looked as horrifying as before.

He grunted, "They hurt me when I came through the portal….the Japs, the _小鬼子_ _,_ your friends….they all beat me up. Then they locked me up in here to poke me and kill me. And they killed Rob." For a moment Chris actually felt like weeping, but he forced back his tears.

Rob had clearly been the man's friend for a long time.

Judy's paw lightly squeezed his shoulder again, sharing some of the pain. The bunny had seen enough sadness to sense it immediately-she had to say, he was doing a good job of hiding it. Although she could not make sense of his words, she still held him tightly, putting aside from the time being her lingering fear. Chris was trying to smile, but deep down inside he was sobbing his heart out. From his home country to a foreign city-state that was nearly impossible….it was sure a long walk in front of the face of Death. It seemed as if everyone on Earth wanted to kill him.

"Tha...Thanks again." the lieutenant muttered as Judy patted his back sympathetically. She had now taken out a handkerchief and was moisturizing it with some water from a nearby tap.

"It's alright…" she reassured, "You don't deserve to be treated like this. Every life is worth something."

She gently scrubbed on his torso, taking away with it the remaining blood and filth. Judy was careful to avoid his wounds, to prevent herself from causing him any excessive pain. Chris's face turned red, and although he couldn't directly see Judy's, he was sure she was blushing too. Her paws reached for his torso and massaged it for a moment before holding the cloth underneath the stream of running water. He winced as he saw the sheer amount of filth flowing into the sick.

At that moment, he realized that although he might be abandoned in both worlds, forgotten and left to rot, there might still be care, warmth...and love.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

His body reeked of blood. The stench was almost too much for her to bear, but for Chris's sake she obliged to clean him. Judy had no idea of where he came from, or whatever a "people's republic" was, but she knew for a fact that she had to help him. He might be a foreigner, an unknown species, but leaving him here was equal to killing him-would she abandon him to the paws of those ZERB monsters? Absolutely not.

It was as if his pain and suffering had triggered something deep inside of her, activating an unknown part within her mind. She had been determined to make him comfortable, or even help him escape ever since she met him. She couldn't bear to leave him alone to a certain death.

Officer Hopps swore as a police officer of Zootopia she was going to help this foreign being survive.

"You don't have to clean that part." the creature, or Chris as it was called cried out.

Her face turned red from embarrassment. Her cloth was dangerously near his sexual organs, dangling from between his legs. Not daring to scrutinize it, she cautiously withdrew her paw from the area. It was larger than anything she had seen before on her brothers.

Hopps disposed of the cloth in a nearby bin, throwing it down the shaft and closing the lid. Her mind was buzzing with controversy, debating whether to help this creature make it out to safety. A smaller voice inside her heart argued that it was too big a risk, that she was playing with weird things which she had no understanding of. What if he was a criminal? What if he was an escaped convict? The questions kept popping in her brain, the headaches they caused similar to a thousand jackhammers working inside of her head.

The cop had to make a decision. Fast.

"Listen, Chris." she looked up at him and said, "You seem like an honorable mammal, and though I don't know you much….I do know it is my duty to aid your escape. You don't deserve to be here, no matter what you have done."

His ears perked up as he heard the word "escape" being mentioned. Judy could even sense his growing excitement, his fists curling up as if itching for a fight.

He grinned, 'Well, maybe there is a way for that. Come closer, Doctor Hopps."

"I'm not really a doctor…" she confessed, "It's only a disguise."

"You're undercover?" Suddenly it all made sense.

"Yeah, you could say I am." she replied, holding out her paw, "Officer Judy Hopps, at your service.

Chris shook it weakly, "Lieutenant Feng Zhongren of the People's Liberation Army. We'll get to that later. Now, do you want to get the hell out of this place or not?"

It was truly an unbelievable plan. As they went over the finest details with each other again and again, Judy couldn't help but marvel at how well they worked together. His creativity had mixed well with her with her criticalness, and somehow the two had managed to place together a plot to subdue their guards and the scientists that were bound to arrive. And it was only 40 minutes after they had first met! Chris really did seem like someone she would like to work with-after his innocence had been proven, of course. She was sure Nick would grow to like him too.

They barely had enough time. Just as Judy finished fitting Chris into his pair of military trousers (together with his tools inside), which was not an easy task considering that he was still being tied up, her excellent hearing could pick up the stomping of the monsters along the hallway right outside of the room. Her heart began to beat fast, but both the man's smile and plan reassured her and calmed her down. She had nothing to fear. Her excuses would cover for everything.

"When do I act?" she asked, affirming the last part with her new partner for one final time.

"Oh you'll know when." he affirmed, smiling a bit, "It is the part when I call your name."

It was all she could do from falling down in fear when the security look beeped and allowed the troop of scientists to enter. There were 3 armed guards escorting them, all donning identical black uniforms and cradling tranquilizer rifles in their arms. To her relief, 1 of them stood guard outside while the others made it in with the scientists. Good. She would need them to be in the room with Chris and her. They would sort out the other one later.

Chris began to sweat profusely, his perspiration pouring down his body and wetting his trousers. He just couldn't help it-the experience of the past few days had really traumatized him, a thing that 2 years of combat had not succeeded in. His composure was really breaking down, no matter how many times he repeated "Stay cool" to himself. But as his new friend as the far corner of the room smiled gently and winked at him, Chris knew that he really had to try. He didn't care if he was killed, but he promised himself he was going to repay this bunny someday.

"Dr. Monroe!" the lead scientist, a short one that seemed like an armadillo greeted, "What an honor!"

"Not at all," Judy pretended to laugh along with them, shaking his doddery paw, "I just needed to collect some more data for my experiments."

"But why the trousers?"

"Well, it's time for the interrogation….and I just thought I would convenient some of my female colleagues." the others nodded in approval, satisfied with her answer.

The armadillo glanced hostilely at Chris. The soldier glared back. He knew this creature well. He was the one that had ordered the guards to beat him up, the one that had starved him and maimed him. Chris swore that he was not going to let that monster get off easily.

"Have you enjoyed your little nap?" the doctor chuckled sarcastically, "I sure hope you did. We're going to get a few answers out of you today."

Judy looked worriedly at the Chinese man. To her relief his face was hard and stony, and perhaps just as impenetrable. She squeezed herself into a little cranny right behind the scientists, separating a distance between herself and the 2 guards. Judy made sure she was oblivious to them. She would hate to attract their attention.

Chris snarled at the scientist as he approached, attaching an electrode to his left arm. " _ **你姥姥**_ _ **!**_ _ **你这老王八快放老子出去**_ _ **!"**_ he swore rapidly in Chinese, " _ **否则别怪老子一枪毙了你**_ _ **!"**_

It was part of the plan. He knew none of them would understand what he had just insulted them with, but they would naturally be suspicious it he weren't so hostile. Judy grinned in response as she saw the guards stiffen up, curling their digits round their triggers. They would never know something was amiss.

"If I were you I'd shut up," replied the scientist coldly, "My guards are willing, I tell you."

But still Chris ranted on without stopping. The scientists put down their clipboards to hold him still, while the armadillo repeatedly attempted to place the electrode onto his arm. They weren't having much success. He was struggling with them, writhing so hard so they couldn't secure a steady grip on him for more than 3 seconds.

"Stay still, you little shit!" she heard the armadillo swear.

Judy felt for the slender handle of her tranquilizer pistol. The magazine brimmed full of unused darts, ready to be deployed. Beside her the 2 guards were talking nervously to each other, preparing to retaliate against the disobedient human if things deteriorated. None of them paid any attention to the tiny bunny behind them.

"JUDY! NOW!" he screamt.

In one swift motion, she drew her pistol and fired off 2 darts in the direction of the guards. Judy didn't even have to look if the rounds found their targets. The tranquilizers buried themselves inside the wolves at point blank range, and before they could even react they were lying unconsciously on the ground, their rifles loosened from their grasps.

Shocked, the scientists released their grip on Chris and turned to face Judy, unsure of what to make of it all. It was his chance. Jerking his hands free and searching for the second tranquilizer Judy had offered to him, he squeezed the trigger. The pistol barely jolted in his hand as he fired at the scientists. Soon, all except one were unconscious, lying next to the filth and waste that the creature had produced during his confinement. Chris looked at his new weapon in awe and wonder. It barely had any recoil, and was as accurate as hell….he was immediately tempted to introduce these to the Armed Police if he ever got back to China. Right now, everything was still shrouded in mystery.

The remaining armadillo held up his arms and backed off to a corner, Judy aiming the last dart at him.

"Doctor Monroe," he wheezed, "I don't understand!"

"Shut up!" she hollered, "Do what I say or I'll make sure you''ll be rotting in the slammer!"

"Let's get over with this shit." muttered Chris, "Okay, _老畜生_ ，you son of a gun, you bettercut my straps and let me go from this table."

He aimed his tranquilizer pistol at the scientist, the remaining darts glinting inside of their transparent magazine. His feet were now trembling as he faced the two insurgents, his arms reluctantly searching for the device to release Chris from his bondage.

"You'll never get away with this." he cursed, pulling on a lever. Chris's straps sprang free, allowing the man to finally move around freely. He sighed and massaged his limbs, the veins in them bulging purple from his imprisonment.

"You killed Rob...you tortured me." Chris muttered menacingly, "What have I even done to you?"

"You are my subject." he answered coldly, "You are an anomaly, and I'm going to lock you up until the very day you die. I repeat, you're never going to escape this facility."

"I doubt it." he said slowly, and emptied the contents of his magazine into the evil monster. The last 3 darts penetrated the armadillo's neck, and his eyes closed as the substances ran through his veins. He gave out a small sigh, and crashed into the control panel. Judy ignored him and focused on the human instead, his actions distracting her from the evil mammals that had caused him so much pain. In a flash Chris was standing up, grabbing his uniform and throwing it on. The electrodes that had been previously attached to him were thrown carelessly onto the floor, lying next to the unmoving body of the monster. He had a slight limp from the wound, but he seemed fine enough.

"I'm sorry." his gaze was downcast, not daring to meet hers, "Something just got hold of me."

She was about to say something when the door opened and another monster stormed in.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

"Duck!" his cries were far too late as the guard took aim at Judy with his rifle. Before he knew it, Chris was on his feet again, diving in front of Judy and knocking her out of the guard's range. Judy grunted as she was thrown to a side, her head colliding against some table….but she was instantly relieved when she felt Chris's warmth protecting and covering her. It was a strange sensation...for once, it felt nice to be protected by someone she barely knew. There was a sharp crack, and the dart richoted uselessly off a nearby metal desk. He risked a glance at the bunny. She was painfully lying on her side, but the officer was definitely fine.

The guard cursed and tried vainly to work on the loading mechanism, but the Chinese soldier left him no chance for that. The soldier felt unusually fatigued, but he had sworn to repay the bunny for what she had done for him. The wolf's fingers hadn't even found the trigger when Chris's knuckles struck him squarely in the face, the impact alone knocking him off his feet. Stretching his arm to its full length, he struggled to retrieve his rifle, but Chris simply kicked it away, drawing his pistol. Half-smiling, he pulled on the trigger.

To his horror, the magazine clicked empty.

Chris fell to the ground face-first, a searing pain overcoming his senses. His muscles mustn't have recovered fully from the restraints yet. His body felt as if they were on fire, consistent flames licking at them. The monster stood triumphant over him, cracking his joints and curling up his paws. Slowly, leisurely, he retrieved his rifle and strode over to him. Chris tried to stand up but cried out again as the guard swung the butt of his tranquilizer into his shoulder, spurting out blood from his fresh wounds.

Chris vainly curled up his body, awaiting the blows that would destroy him and send him back to captivity. He only….he only wanted Judy to live.

"I guess you're not invincible then." Judy joked as she paced in front of him. The guard had fallen to the ground, Judy's last dart sticking out of his torso. It was a good shot.

"I can say the same for you too." he replied. "Thanks for saving my life….twice."

"I owe you my gratitude too," she chuckled, "What you did for me just now...it was brave, it was selfless. We could grow to my friends, you know."

"Yeah, I'm still sorry…..for hurting them." he gestured at the few scientists..

"It's alright." Judy comforted, "They would have killed you. Especially that armadillo….he was brutal."

Chuckling, Judy looked up at the human. He was shorter than she had expected, slightly over 175 centimeters. There was, however, one thing she couldn't understand. How could a man so cruel at times be so friendly to others? Silently, she added it to the list of things she wanted to find out about this "human".

"I still owe you one." he laughed, flinging the pack over his shoulder, "Officer Hopps. Hmmm...I still like you as a doctor more."

"Cut that out." she ordered jokingly. "Now, how on Earth are we gonna get out of this place?"

And out of the blue, the sirens began blaring.


	10. Lockdown

**Chapter 10: Lockdown**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Power Station E-14, Zootopia.**_

 _ **Time: 12:45 pm**_

Lieutenant Nick Wilde crossed his thin but muscular arms and leaned against the steel-plated wall, ignoring the cacophony that called itself the 'ZERB Cafeteria" presented in front of him. A healthy bustle of activity was taking place in the dimly-lit room, dozens of guards and officers clustered around various bar tables, hollering in unintelligible voices that only they could interpret. From time to time a scientist, his or her pure white lab coat standing out sharply in a sea of green, would tiptoe in-presumably to buy a stimulant of coffee to drag through the long hours. They were unfailingly ushered out by the unwelcoming masses of the ordinary troops.

Just as well. The fox wouldn't really be recognized in this hall of madness. He could simply mix in with them, try not to sound too suspicious, and hopefully get a few questions answered in half an hour without raising any eyebrows.

His eyes could pick out the hulking silhouette of the guard who had bought him here, the eager-to-please corporal with his unnaturally forced smile. The wolf had insisted upon treating him to a drink, while nervously rubbing his paws together and hinting repeatedly that he would like a speedy promotion. Just as usual, Nick had only responded wordlessly with a sly grin, leaving the greedy soldier to his fantasies. Right now Will was stuck fast in an ever-growing queue, the numerous ones that chose to cut the line in front of him hinting that he probably wouldn't be back until midnight.

Wilde cautiously paced around the cafeteria, pausing for a few moments in front of the most crowded tables, sticking his head into the few parties whose main topic of discussion wasn't merely obscene banter. He wanted juicy rumours…..ones that spread about like wildfire. And to him this cafeteria was a fertile hunting ground-almost immediately, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small band of soldiers hustled together, occasionally sneaking a glance over their shoulders suspiciously. Something was evidently going on in there. A rumour? Some gossip? There was only one way for Nick to find out.

Nobody noticed the tiny fox cop as he silently moved step by step to eavesdrop on the group of half a dozen grunts, their voices lowered to nothing more than a bare whisper. Nick smiled to himself secretly. Being small sure had its advantages. Professionally,, he squeezed into the herd of unsuspecting mammals and scrutinized that specific table, the mammals there gazing upon the one that was spreading the rumours. Nick pretended to check on his mobile phone, which had in fact long since ran out of battery, and leaned closer to the table. A sickening stench of sweat and bad breath overwhelmed him, but yet he persistently ventured closer, the hushed whispers of the guards emanating louder and louder as he approached.

"A few days ago…..killed….corporal…" one of them announced.

"Observation Room…...captured alive….under containment."

Nick cursed to himself. Their voices were so near yet so far, no more than chaotic buzzing to his ears at this distance. Right now his only wish was to be with Judy….he desperately needed her hearing to figure out what they were talking about. Well, it was no use complaining to himself. The bunny was probably working on something on her own, and it was up to him to investigate. He couldn't disappoint her at that point, could he?

Mustering his courage, the fox leaned low and guardedly advanced towards the table a few metres away. To his relief he was still well concealed in the swirling world of green uniforms, and as far as he could see, the soldiers were immensely engaged in their conversation, their eyes filled with so much anxiety that they didn't dare take their eyes off the speaker. It was as if they were scouts sharing ghost stories in a deep, dark wood on a camping trip. Yet these were grown mammals, and they were in a crowded eatery out of all places-what could they be muttering that caused so much anxiety among themselves?

"So you mean they tranquilized it?" one of the guards enquired.

"Yeah, after he killed Paulus. God rest his soul." another answered

"Hell, they even put the alien in the….what was that again?"

"The Main Laboratory." a hearty voice corrected.

Nick's heart skipped a beat, and immediately snapped out of his trance. The unwelcome clattering filled his mind, as if they were waves racing through the hull of a sinking ship. He soon found himself buried under the discord of hoarse voices, the conversation of the mammals becoming distant and faint again. He sighed and gave up on his effort, instead deciding to try again with Tyler later on when he came back with the drinks. It was no use trying to concentrate here….he doubted if he even had the energy to pay extreme attention anymore.

But there could be no denying of what he had just heard. Nick subconsciously began biting his lips, struggling to contain his fear for Judy. As far as he knew, there...there was some sort of alien in that place! Nick cursed himself for letting go of her so easily...he was a male, he was an officer, and of all things he was her best friend! It should have been him who had stayed there and protected her! He had never considered the compound as a containment facility for extraterrestrial life-forms ever before, the notion too ridiculous to be true. But if such a being required that extreme amount of manpower and weapons to successfully contain it, then….even he was at a loss as to what to do.

Officer Wilde forced himself to push away his anxieties for the time being as he spied the corporal returning with the steaming cups of coffee, his grin widening as he spotted the fox. " _ **That bunny better take good care of herself."**_ Nick mumbled to himself, and flashed back a little nervous smile in return. Heck, if there was anyone on Earth that could take good care of themselves, it was Judy. Perhaps even aliens would think of her as that.

The grey wolf beckoned at him and Nick waded over to him through the herd of mammals, his thin body squeezed tightly between piles of his larger counterparts. Just when the fox thought that he needed immediate medication for suffocation, he found himself in a little clearing with the corporal, who was leaning against the wall and staring at him warmly. Even though he was slouching, he still had a good six inches over Nick, drawfing the police officer in comparison. If something unfortunate really happened there….Nick knew he would have to rely on his wits to get the hell out of there.

"Thanks for the drinks, Tyler." he gratefully began, beckoning at the 2 plastic stools.

"Oh, just call me Will, sir." the corporal waved his hand and dismissed the formalities, "Where were you? Why are you huddling next to the Theorists of all mammals?"

He glanced at the "Theorists", still deeply engaged in their guarded conversation. Will sighed and turned to Nick, the mug held high in his paws.

"I was trying to find you when I dropped my wallet. Hella trouble to find it under their stinking feet, I tell you." he chuckled convincingly.

"A toast." he proposed, "To the success of Operation Gotterdammerung."

Nick raised his in response, even though he had no idea of what entity his counterpart was toasting to.

"To Operation Gotterdabb...wha?" he couldn't help himself but to spit out the word in disgust. Who in the world would give that sort of name to any operation? It just managed to twist his tongue up in knots.

The corporal laughed. "Just transferred from Cliffside, aren't you?"

Nick scowled on the inside. So it was them all along….he should have known.-a covert government institution intended to safeguard the mayor's secrets. Silently, the fox swore that he was going to bring them down whatever the cost, this institution that had nearly killed them 2 years back.

He barely succeeded in containing his emotions, the bubbling rage for the ZERB and his anxiety for Judy continuously expanding. Nick exhaled and returned to his work, his rage temporarily forgotten. He still had an important mission to undertake. Again, he could not bear to let Judy down with failure-God knew what she was facing in the laboratory

Nick scratched at his neck nervously, "You could say I am….still haven't gotten used to any of this covert shit."

"I feel for you!" the wolf replied laughing, "I came here 3 years ago and I digress, I'm still lost in here. Didn't they tell you anything in briefing, though?"

"Not much…" the fox chose his words carefully, "Was in the infirmary back then….broke my wrist when my jeep crashed on the highway. Hurt like hell. Well, I guess the bigwigs at the top didn't care to give me any further explanations about this place."

He paused. "I've been holding on ever since, but I seriously need to know what's going on."

The corporal was slowly shaking his head in sympathy, and his glassy eyes bore into Nick, eager to help.

"Alright, Newt (Lieut). I'm gonna try fill in the blanks for you….but I don't really know that much as well. The conspiracies are always abound here at E-14...and you better get used to it fast. I'm not kidding you, Newt."

The wolf opened his mouth to speak, but nothing but a lump formed in his throat.

" _ **Corporal Tyler? Report to Dr. Monroe's office immediately. She wants to have a word with you."**_ the order from the walkie-talkie came, its feminine voice indifferent and emotionless.

Nick's ears perked up at once at the mention of the doctor. Wasn't that supposed to be Judy's undercover identity? His instincts could immediately sense that something was definitely amiss-wasn't the bunny working alone at the laboratory?

"Stay for a while, Will," he insisted, trying to buy her time, "There's nothing urgent about this."

"Oh, no," the wolf stood up rather hurriedly, emptying what was left of his coffee, "Wouldn't want to be late for this kind of appointment."

"What do you mean?"

His sleek, dark eyes stared deeply into his, betraying the fear bubbling inside the wolf, "It could mean demotion...or worse."

Without saying another word, Corporal Taylor readjusted his cap and strode timidly out of the room, leaving the fox with millions of his unanswered fantasies. _**Oh well, so much for eavesdropping.**_ Nick couldn't help but reveal his disappointment.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The wolf annoyedly rushed to the washroom, splashing fistfuls of icy tap water onto his face. Heck, what did those bigwigs even want with him at this hour? Tyler was extremely tempted to leave the ZERB, the institution that had turned rogue against the government-but he knew without a doubt that they would kill him if he even tried. They couldn't risk any of their little pawns blurting out one their many secrets, could they?

Popping a few breath mints into his mouth to erase the stench of his breath, he straightened out his ruffled uniform and hastily stormed over to the elevator shaft, slamming on the button and waiting for one of them to arrive. Will checked the chunk of stainless steel strapped to his wrist and tapped his foot impatiently-it wasn't every day that one of the members of the top brass demanded to speak with him. He daydreamed of a promotion while he waited, tired of the reckless and ridiculous orders he was responsible for carrying out. It was about time he issued his own. After a few minutes, the elevator finally arrived at his floor and the door slid open, exposing a tiny and rusty interior.

Searching for his mind for the correct floor, he closed the door again and was soon engulfed in the stink of rotten food and sour milk. Gosh, did the ZERB even have enough funds to keep the place going? It sure had the resources to create an interdimensional portal, but as far as he could see, the top brass didn't give a shit to how its workers lived. Tyler struggled to hold his breath and tried not to gag as the elevator shot upwards to the office that took up an entire floor of the compound. Slowly, the machine ground to a halt as it approached the top floor, and a mechanical voice demanded that his identity card be scanned thoroughly before he would be permitted access.

Cursing, the corporal pulled out his wallet and fumbled for his proof of identity, only to find nothing but a year's worth of dust accumulated in the compartments. He must have misplaced it while he was drinking with the lieutenant! Terrified of being trapped in the claustrophobic contraption, the wolf desperately pounded on the door, demanding to be freed. Little did he know that there would be no need for that.

"Let him in," a mysterious voice emanating from the outside decreed. Almost instantly the doors slammed wide open, the elevator's interior flooded with the glare of the neon lights. Shielding his sight, the corporal stepped into the corridor leading to the doctor's office. Heavily-armed guards twice his height staring boldly at him, their digits cradling their triggers in case he dare did anything-as if he would have a chance under their watch.

"Go in." one of them ordered authoritatively, and propelled him into the office proper, "You've kept her waiting for far too long."

Taking off his cap politely and holding it under his elbow, the wolf knocked a few times on the short, oak door. His heart was beating almost as loudly as his knocks, every vibration inside nearly causing him to double over in panic. It was almost never a good sign to be summoned for a talk with the very top.

"Come in." someone inside requested.

Cautiously opening the door, the weight of the oak creaking on the hinges, he poked his head inside to see the grey rabbit sitting boredly at her desk, a golden nameplate before her proudly stating her name.

"Doctor Jane A. Monroe" it was engraved.

"Ma'am" he cleared his throat anxiously, "I am extremely honoured to have escorted you to the Main Laboratory this morning, and I…"

She held up her paw for silence. In the light she seemed slightly older and wrinkled, her fur darker than he had remembered seeing a few hours earlier.

"You left your post." she accused blankly.

"Uhh….yes, but ma'am I thought you specifically ordered for me to…" he stammered.

"You abandoned your assigned post of duty, thus allowing potential threats to fall upon the compound."

"But doctor...I felt obliged to escort you to your place of work." he explained.

"I was nowhere near the side entrance this morning, as a matter of fact."

Tyler moved his lips as if to speak, but for once he was lost for words.

A well-built tiger crept out behind her, shrouded by the darkness. He was neatly dressed in a colonel's uniform, rows of medals decorating his chest. The wolf's eyes glanced to what he was holding. It was clearly some sort of lightweight computer, its body slimmer than any of the models he had ever seen before.

On closer inspection it seemed more like a pad, a layer of clear glass covering the top without a cover.

"Colonel Tigerstone, please show Corporal Tyler the footage from this morning." she spoke to the bodyguard behind her.

He nodded and moved silently until he was right in front of Will, smiling menacingly. The tiger pulled out his electronic pad and typed in a code, the dim glow from the screen casting an eerie light on his face.

"Doctor...Doctor Monroe….I don't understand...you came with the lieutenant ...the fox, didn't you?" he prompted, "You were walking from the jeeps?"

"Watch." she commanded.

The Colonel held the screen towards him. It was displaying some sort of recorded footage, similar to how a phone camera functioned. However the quality of the video was much higher. Bewildered, Will tried to make out what he was seeing-it took a few moments for him to realize what was happening.

It was security footage from one of the cameras installed on the perimeter of the base….and he was in it-so they had been keeping an eye on him all along. Although the fact wasn't that surprising to him, considering the extent that the ZERB went to protect their secrets, he was still shocked at seeing himself in the video. What wrong had he even committed?

As the footage went on he could vaguely see the faint silhouettes of the bunny and the fox approach him, and even their casual conversation before he opened the gate and accompanied them in. What was the point of Monroe showing him that video? It wasn't as if he was unaware what had happened that morning. What was the rabbit trying to prove?

The truth of what had taken place hit him like a freight train, as if his mind had plunged from a cliff into a freezing ocean. He stepped back in horror, no longer able to control his emotions. Tyler fell onto his knees and wept, as he too understood the consequences of his rash decisions.

"I was nowhere near the side entrance this morning." the bunny repeated indifferently as the tiger withdrew the pad, "We only noticed them 15 minutes ago when the techs ran through the data, and I instructed that these video extracts be prepared for your viewing. After all, it certainly is unfair for a mammal to die without knowing the reason for his untimely execution."

As if on cue, the Colonel stepped towards and produced something from his pocket. Tyler shivered as the tiger threw it onto the ground for him to observe, and terrified he turned his face away, attempting futilely to evade the imminent death he was presented with. It was an iron ice pick, long and sharpened. He wondered if it was merely his imagination, but he thought he could see flakes of dried blood on the tip...the last remains of a previous victim perhaps?

"As a soldier, you are well aware of the consequences of allowing intruders to gain access to our compound. Legally we don't allow capital punishment, but there is no way we can forgive such idiocy."

Will dropped to the floor, uncontrollable tears streaming down his face and onto the elegant carpeted floor. He was at the endgame now-after 3 years it had finally come to this….betrayed by his own superiors, infiltrated by outsiders. He had no one to blame but himself.

"Save me!" he howled, specks of saliva landing on his uniform.

"Corporal William Wolfus Tyler, you have one shot at redeeming yourself." the real Dr. Monroe announced, throwing a thin piece of paper at him. As he wiped his tears with his paw to get a better look he could see that it was extracted from the security footage, a photograph of the amateur and her accomplice. "I don't care if you capture them dead or alive. Make sure they don't leave this place at any cost."

William Wolfus Tyler rose to his feet and saluted, gritting his teeth in fury. He was determined to save himself, no matter what it meant. Hell, the wolf was prepared to _kill_ the two intruders if need be.

"Loyalty." he promised, as his paw contacted with the soft fur on his head.

Outside of the office, he raised his walkie-talkie to his mouth and gave his first order as a temporary lieutenant.

"Sound the alarm and get all paws to battle stations. We have a 10-12 on our paws….lock down the whole compound immediately!"

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Nick checked his watch for the millionth time and wondered where in the world Judy could possibly be. It was already half an hour past their original meet-up time, but so far he hadn't as much as seen the bunny's shadow. Just a few minutes ago, he trudged morosely from the abandoned cars, his digits sore and numb from the winter cold. It was the first time he had been let down by the bunny.

The fox rapped his fingers subconsciously againt the cafeteria wall, unsuccessfully attempting to limit his expanding concern for the bunny . As much as he was determined to find her and be a responsible friend to Judy, he didn't have the faintest idea where she was in the winding maze of corridors and tunnels. The yellowed map that Tyler had pushed into his paws before leaving wasn't helping at all-nearly every unmarked room looked identical to him along the way. Nick understood it would probably be better to wait for her in the cafeteria, the most logical meeting place, rather than running around mindlessly and getting himself lost. Right now, his only job was to keep a low profile.

Gingerly brushing off the thin layer of grit, he grasped the ID card he had nicked from Tyler in his nimble paws, memorizing every detail in case someone ever interrogated him.

With that in paw, he had traversed his way round the facility within an hour, poking his head into every chamber that seemed different from its counterparts. Before long, Nick had taken notice of something resembling a Grand Chamber, heralded by an imposing steel gate that opened every five minutes or so to admit the next shift of patrols. There had been more than a few, if not dozens of heavily-armed guards standing on duty in front of the main entrance. If Nick's sight and instincts were to be trusted, then their weapons seemed to be quite different than the ones he had seen back in the van….heavier, and much bulkier. He started to panic when he noticed a sleek black magazine attached to the barrel instead of the usual transparent dart container. It didn't exactly seem like a tranquilizer gun, and he sure hoped he would never have to find out for himself.

The number of guards in front of the portal room weren't exactly friendly either. Gruff and unwelcoming, he was nothing but creeped out when they had stopped him and requested that his identity card be shown for processing. Producing the one he had acquired illegally, Nick had offered it into their paws with the friendliest smile he could muster. Without taking a second glance at the portrait on the card, they had shoved it under the processor and of course, it grew green, allowing him the clearance to enter. He thanked his lucky stars that the Corporal had been granted access to the room. If not, he knew perfectly he was subject to search, and if suspicions were raised….then he figured he probably wouldn't make it out alive. Would Judy have come to save him if his cover were really blown?

There hadn't been much in the room that interested him. In the dim light he could vaguely make out rows and rows of blank screens sitting silently behind him, concealed by the pitch blackness. Nick hadn't exactly been in the mood to go through the stacks and stacks of paperwork lying everywhere, so he just left them alone, lest that a guard was actually looking over his shoulder. Wading his way through the labyrinth of workbenches and different compartments, he noticed a thick layer of glass dividing the colossal chamber into 2 sections-quite evidently, there was some sort of light problem that rendered the other half unviewable. Intrigued, he had tapped on the freezing glass, only to find that the other chamber huge and hollow. Using his paw to shield the blinding neon lights from the exterior, Officer Wilde thought he could catch the bulky silhouettes of workpads and heavy machinery, but he couldn't place a paw on it.

The fox had then walked along the glass wall, eager to find some sort of entrance to the mysterious room. He had only succeeded in getting himself tripped over by a few plastic cartons, tripping over some cylinders that he had no way of identifying.

That was when the guards outside had asked him what the hell he was doing inside. Not willing to start a conflict, he had left reluctantly and made his way back to the cafeteria.

Recollecting his recent thoughts and findings, the fox soon became distracted and detached from the cafeteria in which he was standing. Stuck fast in his deep and endless concentration, he didn't notice more and more pairs of eyes glancing over to him, anxious voices whispering cautiously. Nick closed his eyes and tried to relax his discomfort. He silently convinced himself that nothing at all was wrong, that his partner was already on her way-and he was going to make her proud.

If he had been paying attention, he would have seen a trope of guards marching into the room, armed to the teeth. Their black uniforms stood out sharply within the masses of green, the strange masks they donned only adding to their mysteriosity. Although the words 'ZERB' were strewn to their military vests, their clothing bore nothing in resemblance to whatever their colleagues wore, and even the standard cap on their heads was replaced by an unknown steel helmet with an unknown insignia on top.

The others widened their eyes in fright. "They come from Containment." one of the wolves clustered at a nearby tables hushedly announced in a mix of fear and excitement.

Yet the fox wasn't aware of any of this. He was too absorbed in his thoughts for his partner, his best friend whom he cared so much for. And of course he was afraid, terrified by the dark secrets that the compound held in its premises, ready to be unleashed. The atmosphere in his mind grew darker, and so did the one in the room.

The patrol joined ranks and marched steadily towards Officer Wilde, their boots kicking up a heavy footfall of filth on the ground. The others around them receded like waves for them to pass through, too afraid to speak louder than mere whispers. The lead guard signaled to his counterparts following close behind-attentively, they drew level as they approached the relatively tiny fox.

Nick looked up to see a mass of black uniforms converging on him. They couldn't have uncovered his identity, could they? He was just one fox out of millions in the city.

The lead soldier held out his paw, unusually covered with a grey glove to keep out the cold.

"Identity card." he ordered briskly.

Legs trembling, Nick stood up and took out the card he had stolen for the guard to inspect. Finally understanding what was going to happen, his other paw went to his back pocket. It gripped over the barrel of the pistol he had been carrying, his profuse perspiration running all over the handle.

The guard looked up, a menacing grin on his face.

"Say, Tyler…..I never knew you were a fox. Did you happen to have a species-change operation lately?"

Nick drew his tranquilizer and fired it at point-blank range into the guard.

To his horror, the guard was still standing, the dart sticking out harmlessly of his sleek black vest. He held up his paw and lightly plucked it out of his uniform.

In one swift motion, he flung it towards to the ground in jest, and the pin clanged mockingly against the steel that formed the cafeteria walls. Nick watched on in disbelief...to him, it must have been nothing more than a mere mosquito bite.

In a flash, it was as if a thousand paws were crushing him to the ground. Nick writhed around like a distraught fish, flailing his arms against the forces threatening to ground him into fine powder. A tremendous uproad was growing in the room, the other guards enthusiastically joining in the fight. He cursed as a paw slammed into his jaw, another knocking away the pistol he had held fast to like a toy. Excruciating pains spread everywhere on his burning body, like growing forest fires refusing to be put out. For once he was defenceless, helpless…he felt weak.

Somebody was lifting him up now, away from the surging crowd of chaos and insanity. For a moment he thought was dead, being lifted to heaven by a multitude of the heavenly host. But even in his daze, he knew his fantasy was too good to be true. All the remaining hope inside of him lost, he closed his eyes and muttered a prayer to a God he never really knew.

The fox screamed in terror, unable to do anything to save himself.

His head slammed into the ground, and the fox thought he could hear a sharp crack coming from himself. Before he knew anything, Nick was surrounded by a blinding field of white.

Then it all turned black.


	11. Saving Lieutenant Wilde

**Chapter 11: Saving Lieutenant Wilde**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Power Station E-14, Zootopia.**_

 _ **Time: 1:50 pm**_

Chris scooped the tranquilizer out of the guard's motionless arms and passed it to Judy, holding out the handle for her to grasp. As she took the weapon into her paws, the bunny immediately staggered under the rifles bulky weight, struggling to life it up. She hastily threw it back onto the ground, the heavy barrel clanging against the filthy plastic tiles. Officer Hopps took a step back and inspected the weapon she was presented with, the sleek black barrel lying beneath her. She had seen her share of special weaponry back at the ZPD office, but the model she saw before her eyes was completely alien to her. It was lengthier, bulkier...and somewhat more sinister. Of course, it shared many similar characteristics with the rifles she had been trained with, but there was something wrong with it that she couldn't place her paw on.

It was evidently too heavy for her to operate . Figuring that she could use the darts inside, she fingered for the rifle's magazine and soon located the switch which could release it. Remembering her training, she slid the magazine out and expected to see a neat row of darts waiting for her inside. Instead, she saw half a dozen sharp, pointy darts, partly made out of some sort of metal she had never seen during her training. Judy cautiously picked up one of the projectiles and turned it around in her paw. To her surprise, the frontal part of the dart seemed to be made of….rubber. What use of rubber darts was to that organization? The bunny decided to pocket it and possibly ask Chris about it later.

Next to her, the human was frantically shoving many of his belongings into a huge camouflaged pack he had slung over his shoulder, emptying the contents of the countless plastic containers in the laboratory. From her corner of the room, Judy spied on him and his seemingly important business, secretly wondering to herself what in Zootopia might have compelled him to stop and pack up first. If she were in his place, the officer would have left everything behind and simply made a bolt for it. It was definitely possible that their covers had already been blown, blaring sirens and klaxons roaring over the commotion outside. They might be coming for them soon.

Instantly, her mind flew to Nick and how he might be getting on. After seeing how the ZERB had treated Chris, it had become apparent that those mammals weren't exactly friendly towards intruders. Without checking her phone, Judy already knew it was getting far too late for the rendezvous.

Fortunately, Chris finally seemed to be finished with his packing and was striding over to her, his pack and his own weapon both tied to his back with straps. As he came closer Judy took the chance to study him closely, the extraterrestrial whose world she knew nothing about. To her relief he had long since put his clothes on, the crumpled uniform with the series of spots and stripes decorating it. His fatigues surprisingly resembled the uniforms Nick had found back in the vans. At this, a dark thought entered Judy's mind. Could it be possible that….. she was tempted to dwell in her imagination, but she waved her conspiracy away. Now was not the time to mistrust each other.

The soldier reached where she was standing and gave a small wave in greeting. Despite the circumstances they were under, Hopps could feel that his friendliness wasn't forced, the welcome smile that he bore on his face contrasting sharply with the cacophony that surrounded them. Seeing him, Judy couldn't help but feel a tiny grin grow on her face. They had broken him out of his confinement, and that was only the beginning. It was time to find Nick-and save the fox if necessary. Glancing at the tall and lean mammal standing next to her, Judy knew her only choice was to trust him. She needed his assistance...and the bunny cop hoped he was willing to. Chris seemed friendly enough up to now.

"I found this in their tranqs….they don't look too like darts to me. Too thick, and made of rubber." she said, presenting the human with the ammunition she had retrieved from the weapon.

"Hmmm…" Chris whistled, playing with bullet around in his nimble fingers, "This seems to be a rubber bullet….far from a tranq, I'm afraid."

"A rubber bullet?" the term sounded so alien to her.

"Yeah," he affirmed, returning the bullet to her open paw, "It is used widely by policing or security forces on Earth, and is much more powerful than a tranquilizer. Unfortunately, they are also relatively very harmful to humans, and presumably animals. You have never seen this up to now?"

"No," Judy shook her head, "We only had tranquilizers…..plus a few larger rifles that could shoot nets.",

The soldier was stunned into disbelief. Slowly, he unslung the automatic rifle from his shoulder and undid the magazine. As it came open he cautiously extracted one of the cartridges and showed it to Judy. She looked at it timidly from a distance, as if afraid it was going to explode or something.

"Ow...these look like they could really hurt." the bunny stated, gazing at the pointed top of the bullets, "And...they are fired at high speeds towards other mammals?"

She looked up at him, "And your wounds were also caused by this…..monstrosity?"

He briefly nodded, sliding the round back into its chamber. An advanced society without the possession of firearms seemed impossible to him, but just a few days earlier, merely talk of one filled with animals was enough to incite laughter from him. Noticing her repulsion at his weapon, he swiftly took it back before he could continue to hurt her feelings in any way. Chris avoided undermining their fragile and temporary friendship, and instead decided to focus on their common goal.

"I'm sorry…" he began as remorsefully as he could, "So you came with a partner? Another bunny?"

"His name is Nick Wilde. We're partners on the police team, the ZPD, and he's a great fox…."

"A fox? A fox working with a bunny?" the Chinese man spluttered in disbelief.

"Yeah….we've been partners for nearly 2 years now." she answered dismissively, tired of how everyone reacted when she told Nick was working with her.

"He's a red fox, around 4 feet tall, covered with orange fur…..and he's dressed in the same uniform as you are. Not kidding, even your caps are similar."

"I don't think there seem to be too many foxes around here." he glanced around, "It should be easy to spot, based on his height and descriptions."

"I...I promised to meet with him at the garage outside, but I think it is far too late by now. Do you happen to have the time?"

Chris produced his watch, a small metal one, and rubbed its glass face to take a better look at the hands. Judy leaned across to him, jumping high up to peer over his tall shoulders. What she saw stunned her to such an extent that she fell back onto the ground, gripping the wall to regain her balance. If her pair of eyes hadn't deceived her….then it was already 8 in the evening. She was actually 6 hours late-had time really flown by that quickly?

Sensing her discomfort, the soldier reached over and patted her gently on the back.

He sighed, "Don't worry, it may only be a timezone problem. I'm not exactly sure, but something tells me that Zootopia does not share the same timezone with China. GMT+8 doesn't really apply here, does it? The only thing that matters now is not the time left in our hands, or in your case paws, but the trust between us. Are you up for that?"

The bunny nodded eagerly, beads of her tears hanging dangerously on her eyelashes, "Of course I am...but what did you mean by GMT?"

"Glad to know," she answered, "You ready to save a fox? I could use the help of a big, strong hooman."

"Human." he corrected, rolling his eyes, "And I'm not big. Nor strong. And I've got a wounded calf. I may even be more of a burden to you."

"Nonsense.", her face was deadly serious, "Do I look like the kind of mammal that leaves others behind, just to preserve themselves?"

"Ye…" Chris couldn't even finish his joke before the bunny's glare forced him silent, "I mean no, officer."

"Good." her lips transformed into a smile again, "Now let's go kick some tail!"

As the two prepared to leave the laboratory for good, Chris turned to survey his confinement for the last time. It was even messier than it had begun with if anything, files and instruments sprawling everywhere after his fight with the 2 guards. The scientists were still where he had left them, lying unconsciously somewhere next to the metal table where he had been tied captive to. He hastily turned his head away. Just by staring at their distorted and disgusting faces, the soldier was already tempted to pound them into the ground

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The corridor which they were passing through was still flashing with emergency lights, the originally thundering sirens not much but a faint buzzing to his worn ears by now. Every now and then a few other soldiers would come over, but thanks to his uniform and the gas mask he had taken from the fallen guard, nobody questioned what he was doing at this hour. Despite the pain that remained, the lieutenant was careful to hide his limp from the occasional troops that rushed them by. Fortunately for him, so far none of them had cared to give him any more than a careless glance. The only thing that troubled him was the filter of the mask-if he kept up the running he was soon going to die of suffocation.

"Stop here!" The bunny carefully poked her head up amongst mounds of his personal belongings squashed in his pack, gesturing at a neglected stairwell clustered with all sorts of junk, "That seems well-hidden enough."

The two turned into a dark, musty corner, hidden from the glow of the lights outside.

"Alright, officer, how about we call a break?" he suggested, tossing Judy a bottle of Kangshifu water from his huge pack, "A bit stale, but drinkable."

Judy took a huge gulp and leaned against the wall, catching her breath, "So, what's the plan? I presume you aren't planning on running throughout the entire compound until you bump intoNick."

Chris dug into his pocket, groping for a large lump bulging in the middle, "Just look at what I've found."

He revealed a tiny black device, not much bigger than Judy's own phone. As Chris pressed on one of the buttons on its body, it crackled and filled her sensitive ears with static. It was a walkie-talkie.

"Always thought it would come in handy," he mumbled as he raised the machine to his mouth.

The lieutenant put his finger to his lips and motioned for her to keep quiet-she could tell from the chatter that there was definitely something going on over the radio now. Slowly, she backed off from him and kept her distance, keen not to disrupt whatever activity that might be going on.

"Hello, Private Alpha-Seventeen. This is Surveillance Center Number Zero-Zero-One. How may I help you?" a bored and emotionless feminine voice came over the static.

The Chinese man gulped. He had never been good with his English on the telephone, and his tongue seemed to twist up and tangle every time he became nervous. Was it really going to work with his accent?

"Yes, this is me," he spluttered, fumbling with the walkie-talkie, "I need help urgently, please."

"Please kindly state your business."

This was the hard part he had been dreading all along. What was he going to ask her? For directions? Chris only wished not to sound so suspicious. Beckoning to the bunny standing a few feet away from him, he silently pointed to his device with his good hand and made a nervous face, mouthing "What do I say?" The soldier hoped Judy would be smart enough to understand what he was miming.

"Hello? Are you still there?" the voice demanded impatiently.

"What is up with the klaxons?" the words flowed from his mouth naturally. Even Chris was surprised at his own calmness.

The woman on the other side sighed, "It's a General Command 3, soldier. All personnel are required to report to their battle stations-Containment operatives has reported 2 intruders."

Judy handed him a notepad before he had the chance to say anything else. He skimmed through it, and confidently asked,

"Describe intruders. Have they both been captured?"

"Negative." Judy sighed in relief, "Only one has been apprehended. He is a lieutenant, around 4 feet tall, a male red fox with orange fur..."

Her face twisted in terror, her ears working hard to process what she had just heard.

"The second one is small, maybe 3 feet or so. We're unsure of what exactly she is, but we've confirmed it is a female. It might be a black, brown or grey rabbit in a laboratory suit."

"Where is the intruder?"

"Why are you asking this, soldier?"

Chris' hands clawed at his pockets, and his teeth gritted in anxiety. He had to come up with something. Fast

"I'm from Containment. I had orders to escort the intruders to Cell One-O-Seven for detainment until further notice. I am acting under the orders of Doctor Monroe. Do you have a problem with that?" he decided to end the conversation as soon as possible to avoid any further questions.

"Not at all." she stammered at the mention of the doctor, "Said intruder is currently being held in the Canteen, awaiting further orders from Command Authority. He is unconscious."

"Any details about the other? I'll send my company over."

"Umm...let me find the reference from this morning…" there was the sound of paper being shuffled, "Subject is probably lurking around Sector 8, near the Main Laboratory. Don't worry, troops are already heading over, ordered to find and capture a small weasel or bunny. Over and out."

As Chris released his grip on the walkie-talkie and stuffed it back into his back pocket, Judy finally came to her senses and faintly rose to her feet, grasping the thick cement wall to steady herself. She tried to speak, but all that came out was an unintelligible gurgle. Sighing, the cop took another huge gulp of the bottled water. It tasted a bit strange and thick, but it would do for now.

"Judy," Chris spoke softly and squatted down, until he was eye level with her, "I know what you're going through." He had always been terrible at comforting people, let alone mammals.

Deep down, he was half-expecting a young girl like her to break down and weep-he would have done the same under those circumstances. Who would have trusted their fate in the hands of a complete stranger? To his surprise, Judy stood back up emotionlessly, calmly brushing her eyes with the back of her paw, "He's only captured. There's still hope every moment he's alive and kicking."

The years of police work must have built around her an impenetrable barrier, one that silenced the floods of hopelessness that threatened to knock their way into her heart. After long, hard months of combat and all the things he had witnessed, Chris only wished that he could say the same about himself.

"There's no time to waste," she concluded, climbing into Chris' pack, "We still have a canteen to find!"

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"We're getting near," Judy wheezed, struggling to inhale whilst squashed amongst a mash of junk, "The lights are brighter here….there are signs, too."

And she was right. There were no more sirens here, the originally flickering lights having now grown to unforgiving glares casting over the pair. The corridors were in better condition too, everything well-kept and in place-there was nowhere to conceal themselves if need be, nothing to be kept secret. It didn't take a bunny to sense that they were approaching the canteen. The repelling smell of chow wafted through the vents to their noses, and despite how unappetizing the food was the soldier felt his mouth water…..he had been starved for so long that he was more than willing to shovel actual shit into his stomach, just as long as it could fill him up.

"Good work, officer." he congratulated as they reached a crossways, "Seems like we've found a way to your boyfriend."

"He's _**NOT**_ my boyfriend." she snapped a glare at him, "Who ever said that a boy and a girl working together had to be a couple?"

"Then what _**is**_ he?"

"Nick's my best friend...and like I said, we've been working as partners for _**two years**_ now. I've been too engaged in my work to ever have any notion of..."

"Shhhh!" he signalled, crouching down. Gosh, he wished he had never triggered that bunny. "I hear footsteps."

Judy stopped talking long enough for her pair of huge ears to pick up the vibrations on the floor. It all seemed deafening to her in the silence-there were some advantages to being a bunny. She closed her eyes and paid attention…..Chris's breathing, her own heartbeat, they all vanished from her mind as the bunny listened and prepared for the incoming footsteps, the careless treading on the floorboards.

"You stay here," Chris whispered, pointing at a staircase not far from him, "Crouch in there, make sure no one sees you." He slipped something else into her paw-another walkie-talkie, presumably snatched from the other guard.

"It's connected to mine. Tell me if something's going bad."

"What about you? What are you gonna…"

"I have my mask, I have my gun." he assured, "Nobody's gonna mess with me for a long time. Just don't move until I come back. Warn me if someone's coming."

The bunny nodded, and tiptoeing the best as she could, she retreated into the stairwell and hid there, peeking out from behind the wall at what the human was about to do.

Chris took a deep breath and adjusted his gas mask. He had already thought of a cover story-he was going to blame it on a gas leak. The facility didn't look too well-kept anyways. Taking one last look at the rabbit hidden behind him, he set off for the light shining in front of him, the glare glinting off his visor attached to the mask. Nothing seemed to be wrong at all from his perspective….the guards barely paid any attention to him, burying their muzzles into some kind of animal porn or their own version of cards. Down the corridor there were just rooms and more rooms, each almost identical with their numerous counterparts. He cursed loudly in Chinese, hoping that the mask would muffle his sound. This was going to take some time.

Concealed by the plaster wall, shrouding in the pitch darkness of the unlit staircase, Judy couldn't help but feel that something was abnormal. In her defence, she had every reason to feel afraid. After all, who would have thought of it? If it really came down to the worst scenario, nobody would even know about her death. In the eyes of the public, she would have just disappeared. God knew what the ZERB did to its prisoners…..maybe Chris's experience was merely the beginning. Her imagination was a powerful entity, taking control of every single thought spawned within the confinements of the covert facility.

Before long, the officer became so absorbed and distressed by her powerful tool contained within her mind that she neglected her vigilance, the once sensitive hearing nearly switched off and deactivated. The _**creature**_ lurking a few feet below her sniffed, feeling its predator instincts return. It was long since buried in his DNA, dormant, forgotten in the presence of modern civilization-yet now it was bumbling back under the most evil of circumstances.

The moment she finally picked up a signals, it was far too late for her to defend herself, to draw herself back from the ghosts that haunted her imagination. She could only brace, to protect her comparatively fragile body the best as she could.

Corporal Tyler leapt upon her, his teeth gnashing in fury at her sigh. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, bearing no resemblance at all to the helpful guard he once was. The dark blood from his open wounds slowly dripped onto her grey fur, gradually staining the beautiful grey into a haunting shade of red. She barely gulped in a small breath of air before his paw clamped down on her throat, his muscles bulging, the stench of his wounds overwhelming.

He...he was going savage in front of her eyes.

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

(15 minutes ago)

"Now hold on just minute, son." the Colonel had followed the wolf out of his office, escorting him to the express lift, "There's something I have to say to you. In private."

"Always ready, sir!" Corporal Tyler saluted stiffly, eager to please. The other soldiers guarding the office watched on amusedly, as if they all knew something he didn't.

"Good," the tiger smiled sinisterly, exposing his sharp white fangs, glimmering under the light, "Come closer, corporal."

The wolf gingerly stepped towards until he was right next to the tiger's chest, grinning, awaiting what his superior had to order.

"You know, sometimes…...mammals need a bit more motivation." he began, sighing heavily.

"I'm always there to fight, sir!" he saluted again, "Long live the ZERB and what we stand for!"

"Let us talk freely, soldier to soldier." the tiger ordered casually, dismissing the formalities between them, "What I mean about motivation, soldier, is not physically or mentally...but emotionally."

Tyler cocked his head at him, uncertain of what the Colonel was suggesting.

"Emotions…" he continued, "Are little tiny things that get in the way of great accomplishments. In other words….our obstacles. Our hinderments."

"Sir?"

He held up his paw for immediate silence, ignoring his interruption.

"No matter how strong you think you are, no matter how well-trained or how much combat you've seen…..you are still mammal. There is still a primitive, pre-installed consciousness in our bodies, our psychologies. Am I correct, Will?"

"Sir...I don't thi…." the wolf stammered, afraid of what may come next. The room around them seemed to shrink, the fangs of the cold wind outside piercing straight into his beating heart. "That may not exactly be…"

"For centuries, for millennia….even dating back to the ages when we were yet still unevolved….we have also believed in many things that make us mammal. That is an interesting thought. What actually makes us mammal?" he pretended to think, "Our sense of belonging and brotherhood? Our longing to preserve our young, our future? Or is it….simply our bare consciousness, our willingness to coexist with others? Is that what defines us?"

"I'm not really following…"

The tiger snarled, "What if we tore that sole piece of light out of the darkness of every mammalian heart everywhere? Emotionless weapons….they'd be unstoppable."

"You cannot…"

"And why is that, corporal?" Tigerstone grinned, towering malevolently over his subordinate, "There is a sentence I read from a book….a book that came from the other side. You do know that we have such resources, don't you?"

The wolf only gulped.

"How do you rid the city of mammals? Or in our case, how do we rid the world of our enemies, our oppressors?" he paused, waiting for the tension to set in, "We rid of their mammalnity."

Tyler grunted as he felt something cut into his veins on his neck, collapsing onto the ground in pain. The world swirled around him, and the footsteps of a thousand footsteps thundered around him. Centuries have passed, millenia…..Tigerstone was still standing over him, watching him. What did the psycho even want with him? He stretched out his paw weakly, only to be heartlessly stepped on by the Colonel, his huge body releasing its entire weight onto his fragile limb.

"It's a very powerful drug, similar to….what did they call them? The Nighthowlers." he explained, holding an empty syringe into his hands, "I am so sorry we had to do this…..don't worry, the death will be painless after you complete your mission successfully. After all, it is an automated process."

"Wha…." his speech came out garbled-he had lost control of his body.

"You will lose conscious in a few moments, and after that you will lose forever who you are. Your identity, your memories….you will become a living corpse, subject to my every order until my need for your existence is fulfilled. Then….you can finally get your rest."

" _ **It was never their weapon. It was always ours…..they merely perfected it for us, even permitting a testing for a gas with similar effects. Just….just think of what would happen if we released it upon the city**_ , _**against anyone that threatened us."**_

"You...you…"

"No, don't." he knelt down, covering his mouth with his bulky paw, "Don't try to fight it. It's meaningless and painful."

Will felt himself slipping away, the sights in front of him going blurry. He forced himself to stare the villain down to the very end, but he soon gave up…..something was dragging him down, a stone, an anvil. The ZERB had cheated him, cheated his life, cheated everything he had. Heck, Tyler would never get a chance to meet his wife one final time. In fact, she wouldn't even know where he went.

Tigerstone stood back up, staring blankly at the breathing corpse that lay motionless and deformed beneath his feet. He pulled the specially-made wireless from its holster, and gave the creature, the wolf without any sense of mammalnity left in his, its first order. The last one before it was finally given its rest.

 _ **Tigerstone felt a unexplainable twinge of empathy for his fellow soldier, but he assured himself that he was only acting under direct instructions from Doctor Monrroe. If the test run ended in complete success, the doctor had promised, then... then they were ready to begin. In a way, the corporal was dying for a greater good.**_

The photo crumpled in his paw, widened and straightened for the reborn beast to see, to scent. The picture with the only bunny cop was printed on its surface.

" _ **Kill this bunny."**_

And that was all it needed.


	12. Babarian

Chapter 12:

 **Author's Note: I'd like to apologize for my brief hiatus. The week wasn't exactly going at a leisurely pace and life has been really busy for me lately. Moreover, I wasn't exactly feeling well, so this chapter took a bit longer to be written to be usual. I apologize sincerely for the delay, and I hope you all will enjoy it! :)**

 **P.S. Happy Chinese New Year!** **新年快樂** **!**

 **-Pudong**

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

It was all Judy could do not to scream as the savage hurled her towards the steel floor, long strands of saliva hanging from its open mouth. The force of the impact was unimaginable, the bunny's whole body bruised from the tremendous shock. Dazed and bewildered, she cried out as something hard drove into her side, knocking every breath of air out of her lungs. Her ribcage felt as it was on fire, the inferno spreading to every part of her body. Adrenaline pumping rapidly throughout her, Judy ignored her growing discomfort temporarily and slammed her elbow into the intruder, expecting whatever it was to crumple away from her. Instead, another excruciating pain overwhelmed her as her joint hit the blank wall, her uniform stained with fresh dark blood. Remembering the walkie-talkie Chris had left her, she frantically rummaged for the device tucked firmly under her waistband only to see the device swiped from her paw, clattering useless onto the ground out of her reach. The world seemed to swirl around her, and she hadn't even recomposed herself when the blow hit her squarely in the jaw, sending her off balance and down the short flight of stairs. She weakly widened her eyes to see a shadowy form approach her, tall and well-built. Her first thought was that Chris had betrayed her, pretending to go off exploring then using his weapon to beat her senseless and escape off himself. Yet as she considered that possibility she told herself off for such mistrust-how would he even betray her? It was always that kind of thinking that got her into trouble. And of course, Chris wasn't….savage?

There was no denying it at that point. The creature…..or the wolf as it had once been went onto its fours, the remnants of its old uniform torn and discarded at a side. It was nothing else but savage. A million thoughts ran through the bunny's mind, jumbling it completely and throwing it into mayhem, but only one stood out from the crowd. How had he turned? Hadn't all of the Nighthowlers been destroyed under the strictest surveillance by the ZPD? There was no way the ZERB could have obtained another sufficient dose, not even with its friendly contacts in government. Could there have been another substance, another chemical with the same effects? Or did they obtain it from another location, from a facility where such a chemical still existed in number? She would have liked to explore this question, but as the beast strode towards, panting endlessly at Judy's sight, she knew that the next few minutes might be the difference between life and death. Whatever the substance was, it seemed to have also enhanced the creature's fighting capabilities drastically.

The bunny cop took a quick look at her surroundings. The savage was approaching at a leisurely pace, as if even it knew with its primitive mind that she had nowhere to run, no way to hide. Despite her efforts Judy was fully cornered by now, her sore back pressed tight against an alien wall. She was in a way naked to him, the seemingly defenseless shivering critter standing a few feet away, the wolf 3 times her size. To an unknowledgable audience, Judy's situation might seem utterly hopeless, resistance futile, even. But she knew far too well that she wasn't going to give up without a fight-something told her the ZERB authorities weren't going to leave her alive with this one. The savage's eyes glinted, and as it did its face ignited Judy's memory….there was something really strange about that creature, an impression that gave Judy a sense of having met before. As the truth revealed itself she was stunned for a moment, but soon she found realized who it really was-it was Tyler, or Will as he preferred to be called. Growling menacingly, its fangs baring, the wolf bore no resemblance to the helpful guard she had encountered that morning. Seeing his appearance was the last straw for Judy. She didn't need to be told that the ZERB was hostile towards its own comrades, let alone enemies.

There was no other choice. She had to fight for her life.

The wolf lunged towards her mercilessly and suddenly, its muzzle aimed for the bunny's neck, lusting for the taste of blood. Snapping to her senses, her instincts took over and she dropped to the ground and rolled to the side just a second before the wolf would have ripped open her neck. The bunny tasted blood in her mouth, and she panicked for a brief moment before realizing that she had bitten her own tongue in fright. She backed up against the second wall hastily, both her legs trembling uncontrollably, the beast in front of her snarling hostilely towards her direction. There were streaks of dried blood on its originally handsome fur…..hitting the wall face-on must have caused it injury to some extent. However if it was affected it sure didn't show any signs of it-in fact he seemed even more furious than before. God….was it immune to pain?

Judy felt for her tranquilizer and pulled it out in one swift motion like how she had been trained to. Recalling everything that they had taught her in the academy, the cop took aim at the beast fearfully. By now it was like a second instinct to her, the two sight points lining up almost automatically. Her paws shook, and she doubted her accuracy more than anything else. Yet she knew she had to trust herself on this against all odds. The wolf sniffed blindly in the air for a moment, before vigilantly sensing her movement and pounced onto her without a moment of hesitation. Squeezing her eyes shut, Judy clicked on the trigger, firing the dart point blankly into the uncivilized beast. If the pistol still worked then it would probably be unconscious in a matter of seconds. She dropped into a ball, praying that the anaesthetic agent would function properly. The officer thought as if she had heard someone whimper in fright, then only realized it was actually herself, unaware of the pain that was overwhelming her.

To her horror she felt strong paws lifting her up and throwing her head-first into the steel wall. Shielding and taking the impact with her paws, Judy fell helplessly onto the floor, her pistol thrown away into the deep darkness of the abyss, nowhere to be seen. As she struggled to recover her head felt as if a thousand jackhammers were thundering inside, threatening to crack her skull open. Of course, she knew it was impossible, but at that instant it felt ten thousand times worse than that. A wave of despair flooded her. It was simply toying with her, torturing her until it had had enough fun and decided to finish her off. Her paws curled into angry fists, and she pounded furiously at its body until it backed off temporarily. However savages, unlike evolved animals, didn't feel pain. To her horror, Judy realized that only in the midst of the battle. It was far too late for her to save herself, for her to even call for her new friend from the radio. The wolf recovered in a millisecond, and the bunny was soon leaping for her life, evading the rain of fists the size of her head. She might be smaller, but it definitely gave her a major advantage speedwise. As the savage hurled itself at her she speedily jumped aside, distracting its primitive senses by moving like lightning. She smiled on the inside as she dazzled it, his eyes dull and confused, futilely trying to follow her. Gradually he slowed down, panting heavily-he was weakening.

Suddenly she felt something clamp down on her body, and as she instinctively jerked away from her aggressor his jaws sank into a part of her flapping coat, tearing the fabric apart like a hot knife through butter. Judy cried out, fearing that he had penetrated her skin in the confusion. As she backed away subconsciously, her mind frozen in panic, the wolf ripped the remains of her shirt with his claws, madly trying to bite through it. It must have been her scent that had tainted it. She scrambled further from him, crawling along the ground with her paws just before he turned his attention back to her, baring his bloody fangs threateningly.

Judy's whole body ached terribly, and in her subconsciousness she wondered what had happened wrong with the dart she had fired. Were savages actually immune to those chemicals? It must have been an extremely powerful drug, in order to have pushed Tyler far beyond the extent of other substances taking effect inside. In her pain she continued to contemplate, frustrated with her own ignorance and defenselessness. Another blow came in from above, and this time Judy had no power left in herself to deflect it. For the first time in her life she longed to be gone, for someone or something to put her out of her misery. She was done here. It was enough, far too more for to endure.

Her mind flew to Nick, and she recollected for the millionth time how they had spent time together. Cracking cases, darting gangsters, evading capture and torture…..it all seemed like ten thousand years ago to her at that moment. A stray tear fell from her eyelids. Was it all going to end just like that? Was the game already over? The only bunny cop killed somewhere in the wilderness, her corpse not even left to be found? Her memories flashed to her parents, her family, all of those fellow bunnies who had been so proud when she had first been a cop, then cracked the Nighthowler case? Ignoring the continuous pounding in her head, her ravaged body, she thought about everyone that she cared about, everyone that cared about her. Nick, her parents, her family, Chief Bogo, Claw hauser, Mchorn…...and finally Chris. She knew he could never get out of there without her help, and so was Nick. They all added up, and a pang of guilt hit her as she thought of leaving them just for her own selfishness. She could not go now. She could never go in vain.

Judy crawled up and surveyed the aggressor, the one sent untimely to end her life. The beast was convulsing in the corner, gagging weirdly and making unusual noises. She raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at it. What was it doing? Wasn't it going to finish her off? Terrifyingly, it started biting itself, chasing its tail…..howling as its flesh was stuck in its glinting fangs….it was fully reverting back to its primal state. Blinking her unbelieving eyes, Judy couldn't help but wonder what on earth the creature had been injected with. At least it seemed to have forgotten her for the moment.

She eyed the top of the staircase, every step recently stained with blood and the muck of pawsteps. Turning her sensitive ears to its direction, she concentrated, not daring to move lest it stimulated the monster. There were some advantages, however few, to being a bunny. Out of the wolf's earshot but well within Judy's range, a device abandoned by its owner in the haste of fighting crackled. Static filled her ears, and her heart warmly filled with a ray of hope. The walkie-talkie was still working fine. The bunny glanced to the monster. It was rolling over the floor now, further dirtying it, evidently trying to get rid of some kind of scratch. She winced in disgust. The thing had even forgotten how to use it paws. But in a way she was relieved-she needed it to be occupied. The longer the better.

There couldn't be more than 10 feet from where she stood to the first flight of stairs. Nervously she estimated that would be roughly 3 long hops for her. The wolf was larger and had longer legs, but at least she was faster and had a head start. What were her odds of making it out alive? She really had no idea but to try. Nobody could save her, nobody could hear her-all her faith was on the radio. Hopefully Chris hadn't gone all that far. The bunny's heart beat even faster, the adrenaline pumping rampantly inside of her, and she glanced at the shimmering light at the top and all those who were awaiting her return.

Nick. Nick needed her help more than anybody else. She was never going to leave him behind.

The images around her blurred as she sprinted towards survival, her salvation. 9 feet away. The beast looked up from its bloody fur. 6 and a half feet. Judy nearly tripped, but forced herself on, neglecting the faint throb down in her ankle. The beast gave a final howl, and stretched its long legs. 3 feet away. She was going to make it…..or was she? Judy looked briefly behind her, afraid of what she might see. The wolf was approaching swiftly, rage engulfing its eyes, remnants of her blood staining his muzzle dark red to an extent that it looked black. The stairs grew larger and larger in her eyes, the officer squinting to shield her from the light above. At the same time, she embraced it.

Snapping at her tail, it's bloodlust predominating, the wolf made a final leap at Judy. She bended her knees and took a deep breath. The snarling and the sound of running paws grew silent in her mind, her soul and consciousness completely isolated from the outside. One second late, and she would be his dinner. There would be no second chance, no chance of respawning. Making a last goodbye to those she cared for, she jumped. She jumped towards all those who loved her, to those who she loved, bidding a timely farewell to the evil that lay behind her and threatened to cripple her. Judy felt confident, ready to tackle everything else that awaited her. The final struggle, the test that defined her was about to prevail.

She grabbed the walkie-talkie triumphantly, the golden trophy made out of glass and plastic that was her reward, her salvation. Judy stared fearfully...no, not any longer. She stood tall, facing the savage confidently. It had finally reached the top of the stairs, its body nearly collapsing, unable to support its weight. Beads of sweat the size of Judy's eyes flowed down its legs and onto the greasy floor. She glanced at his situation curiously. Did the chemical injected also induce some sort of disease or fever within the host's body? Or was it simply the effects of the mind control process?

Judy dodged out of his way as he suddenly lurched towards, clawing at her with its outstretched paws, its glassy orbs overflowing. It seemed to have lost every ounce of its sanity-the drug must have gotten stronger within his system. At least it could still fight normally a few minutes ago, it's only skill not taken away from him as he changed. She wondered whatever organization could bear to make such a monstrous weapon. The bunny could never imagine controlling anybody, let alone using them as lethal weapons. The wolf was struggling to control itself now, its legs wobbling under him, but its stare continued to pierce Judy, snapping her out of her dazed trance.

Grabbing the opportunity, Judy reached for the radio and switched it to Chris's channel. She waited until the static had subsidized to a faint humming, then clenching the device with both of her paws, rasped into the speaker:

"Chris, you gotta...you need to come ba…"

She hadn't even finished her sentence when a streak of white heat overwhelmed her mind. The walkie-talkie loosened from her senseless paws, collapsing onto the floor with her. Out of the corner of her eye she could spy it, her ears still picking up its incoming signals. Chris was calling for her now, demanding what was going, how he could help. She tried to open her mouth to answer, but nothing come out but a tiny whimper. Something clamped down on her.

She closed her eyes.

She awaited her end.

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Was he getting closer? He had no idea of knowing, nothing else available to him but to continue endlessly towards the end of the corridor, anxiously holding onto the rifle, his knuckles growing white from the tightness with which he was squeezing the barrel. The few guards along the hallway half-heartedly paused to take a mere glance at him before taking off again, barking orders into their walkie-talkies without paying the Chinese soldier any attention at all. Gaspng inside the gas mask, his heavy breathing troubled by the stuffiness and heat inside, Chris knew it was a smart move to have put it on. His appearance had allowed had no other possible method at his disposal to reach the cafeteria, and he understood now was not the time to storm the compound and do whatever he liked. There were far too many of them, and he was injured with no clear idea of what was going on around him. He would be literally dead meat if he even dared let a shot loose in there with all those pairs of eyes gaping on him.

Even through the filter the soldier could pick up traces of cooking food, the delicious wafts of air causing his stomach to grumble and scratch against him painfully, and even his training was not enough to suppress that. He was only human-he would still feel hunger, and that was the demon that had been tormenting him ever since his capture. God knew how long they had trapped him inside there….it could have been hours, it could have been a week. But it was the least of his worries right now. He had a fox and a bunny to care about, to worry for. The lieutenant couldn't afford to let them down and escape himself-he forbid such dishonorable thinking in his thoughts. Chris put the radio to his ear to see if there was any new message from Judy.

Strangely it remained silent. As he left the concealed safety of the staircase, he had earlier expected an anxious bunny constantly bugging him on the radio, inquiring whether if he had found Nick or if he had been released yet. Frowning, his forehead creasing up as he did so, he tucked the radio back into his back pocket, worried that something may have gone wrong. After all, to him she was only a bunny,one particular specimen that could talk at most. There could be a thousand, if not more insurgents in the compound, and it didn't need a genius to figure out that they were heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Chris knew this was not the scenario to rely on brute force alone, but to use their wits and cunning with the bunny and fox to get out of the godforsaken place intact.

It could be harder than he had imagined.

He quickly stopped walking as he spotted a huge set of sliding doors at the end of the corridor, at least half a dozen troops with the identical uniforms standing guard outside, digits on the triggers of their rifles. A huge noticeboard next to it stated the menus for the day, and a flashing neon sign above the guard's heads read the word "Cafeteria". At that moment, nothing else sounded quite as delightful as the word shown glimmering in front of Chris's eyes. Breathing in the mouth-watering scents of cooking food, the starving man was extremely tempted to break in and eat his fill before making it back to Judy. Nearly painfully, he tore his eyes from the sliding doors and hurried back where he had come from, not willing to attract the many guards in any way.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally he plodded away from their sight, coming near to the hiding place where he had left Judy on her own. He waited for an expectant bunny hopping up to meet him, to throw millions of her questions on him. It was always about Nick this, Nick that-they must have been really close friends. Chris waited near the stairway for a few moments, listening in for any footsteps, but to his surprise there were none at all. The hallway was completely silent and deserted. Even the guards who had occupied it minutes earlier were all gone. It...it was simply eerie.

Tucked deep into his pocket, his radio trembled.

Immediately he pulled it out, placing it next to his ear. Was it Judy? Or was it one of the monsters who craved a word with him at the wrong moment, or possibly even orders to give himself up? His eyes quickly checked the channel he was connected to-to his instant relief his device was still connected to Judy's. He couldn't get enough of these kinds of thrills-one more and he was sure he would die of a heart attack. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the incoming message.

What he heard wasn't pleasant at all.

"C...Chris, you gotta...you need to come ba…"

He closed in intently, his eyes widening in horror. No more words came from the speaker, except for the distant muffled whimpering of the grey bunny he had left behind. There were a few faint thumps that came through, but whatever it was Chris wasn't sure. A few moments later the connection cut off, leaving him to his mound of guiltiness. He let the walkie-talkie slip into his pocket silently from his subconscious hands, slowly turning his head towards to the stairway at the other end of the corridor. It was all his fault. He should have known better than to leave her alone.

He had to shoulder his own responsibility.

Resisting the temptation to fling off his pack and throw it recklessly onto the floor, he strapped the automatic rifles to his back and took flight towards the seemingly faraway stairway, his chest heaving and muscles bulging from the sudden exercise. The tiny distance would seem like nothing to his former self, his body long since toughened by the military training he had previously received. But through his period of confinement...he wasn't so sure about his bodily capabilities anymore. Rivers of sweat ran down his neck and into the cotton his uniform, and he felt the heat that grew to consume him. He savoured every moment, even the brief bursts of pain that threatened to beat him down every time he breathed in too fast.

Chris didn't even dare imagine what had happened to her back in there.

Practically hurling his own body over the last bend, his lung burning from his strenuous panting, the soldier paused for a second in front of the door to the pitch black stairway, totally untouched by the flashing lights outside. The silence was unnerving…..he thought he heard someone, or something thumping inside, it's crying muffled by the thick door. Apparently it was also sound-proof...he thanked his smart decision to leave Judy one of the walkie-talkies. Chris struggled to catch his breath and bended his knees, his hands grasping onto his ankle. He really had to get back in shape.

Fearing what he might see inside, he drew his pistol from its holster and nervously opened the door a crack, stretching his neck to peer inside. A gasp escaped from his mouth involuntarily, and with his good foot he kicked the huge door wide open, the sound it made when it crashed against the steel wall so loud that it nearly made Chris jump in horror. With all those monsters around him, he could never be too careful. But as he faced the room, he shakingly raised his firing arm, his left hand clasped onto it anxiously. The lieutenant barely managed to conceal his fear as he met face-to-face with what lay inside the dankness of the stairway, the previous heat he had felt melting away and instead replaced by a chill running down his spine. His lips tried to form words, but his tongue seemed to be strangled and his throat blocked up. Gasping for air, he tore off the mask from his face.

Judy was desperately pushing against the savage, but it was so strong that it held on whatever she did, pushing her onto the floor face-first. She screamed in terror and kicked back with her powerful legs, trying to knock the beast back and recompose herself. To her pleasure it hit him in the face, and stunned it fell behind her, releasing his grip on her. She crawled back with her sore body, no longer sure what she was doing anymore. The wolf soon recovered and was approaching her again, its lips curling menacingly as it scowled at her. Was there no giving up for that beast?

The bunny heard something creak behind her and she turned. That was the chance Will, or what remained of him now, had been waiting for all along. It sprang on her, growling, snarling, snapping and biting at her neck. She flinched as the remnants of her blood on his huge fangs dripped onto her and stained the originally grey fur dark red. Blood...it was such a strange color. So dark, so much of it…..perhaps not even red anymore. She watched motionlessly as it drained out of her wound, flowing freely onto the floor below. Judy didn't even feel anything as his fangs cut into her leg, his paw ripping up her flesh, her fur. She had already suffered so much pain that it meant almost nothing to her now. On the other hand, she wondered if she was so shocked that even her nerves had been severed.

"JUDY!" someone was now yelling behind her. It was a male's voice, too low-pitched to be Nick's. She considered Bogo, but she knew in reality there was only one other possibility.

Chris fired into the air, the shot clanging onto the metal ceiling and smashing a light bulb. The region outside the stairway fell dark, and Judy found herself uncomfortably close to the wolf's genitals among the blank nothingness she was consumed in. She felt something breathing on her neck, and she tried to wriggle sway to no avail. What was he trying to do to her? She could sense Chris's presence behind her, and he was yelling something unintelligible at her, something about telling her to roll away so that he could get a clear shot. In her bewilderment she couldn't really process what he was saying thoroughly, but she did as she was told obediently. Summoning all the energy she still had within of her, she reared back and slammed her tiny first into the wolf's genitals. Fortunately for her it had the desired effect. It howled in excruciating pain, and she watched in satisfaction as it moved away from her, its paws automatically clenching its member, attempting faintly to comfort himself. Heck, it seemed exactly like something out of the movies.

Chris allowed the pistol to fall freely, and instead reached for the rifle slung onto his back with his huge pack. He double-checked if Judy was well away from the designated target-in the darkness he couldn't really make sure, but he could see a small form backing up against the other corner, away from the writhing body of the animal that had been trying to harm her. He sighed in relief, and Lieutenant Feng made sure for the final time that his rifle magazine was loaded. Like a second instinct, he readied his gun sights and lined them up at the savage wolf. He prayed that the wolf wasn't going to move anytime soon-Judy's salvation wasn't going to take too long.

Judy was around 4 feet away when a huge noise deafened her ears. Her paws went instinctively to clamp over them but it was already too late, lying over by her side to block out the roaring outside, trying to ignore whatever was going on. There was an endless ringing in her ears, one that refused to go away no matter what she did. As the tremendous banging outside gradually subsided she sat up and rubbed her eyes, her paws falling away from her sensitive ears. They were still ringing uncontrollably, but as she saw what remained of the wolf it seemed like the least of her discomforts at the moment. She was going to be sick.

"Judy! Judy, are you okay? It...it's all my fault… I shouldn't have left you alo…." Chris rushed over, eager to help her in whatever way he could. However the soldier hesitated as he saw her bend over and empty her stomach for the second time, her face contorted in disgust and disbelief. "Judy?" he asked concernedly.

His hands subconsciously rested on her shoulder, comforting the whimpering bunny.

Having made sure there was nothing else to hurl out, Judy stood up nauseously, taking in brutally everything that lay chaotically in the room. Her eyes deliberately avoided the remains of the wolf, lest she fall over and start throwing up all over again. Chris was kneeling beside her, soothing her. It felt...it felt good to be comforted again. She had been through so much that day, and to think that it wasn't even over yet. Judy wasn't confident that she could take any more. Feeling like waste, she slumped onto the ground exhaustedly and let the tears flow over her cheeks, allowing the soldier that she barely knew to massage her, to reassure her. The bunny started crying out loud, both of her paws hanging limp next to her, and she felt a hand tousle her fur, not roughly but soothingly. He hadn't failed her, and she had survived all thanks to him, and that was all that mattered to her at the moment.

"Thank...thank you." she whimpered, before the sobs overwhelmed her.

He sighed and wrapped an arm around her. Chris wasn't exactly comfortable doing that, and he felt himself heat up at the bodily contact. But he knew that Judy needed reassurance right now, and he wasn't the type of person that would stand by as she wept. They still had time anyway-hopefully the door was completely sound-proof.

And so they remained that way. His arm wrapped around the crying bunny, Chris continued her the best he could to comfort her, to assure her that everything could soon revert to normal. Nobody talked as they sat together in total quietness, the sunlight outside making her teardrops glimmer brightly. The silence was all they needed.

Half an hour later Judy stood by the doorway, anxiously covering up her tattered lab suit as Chris moved the corpse into a cleaning cabinet, his eyes emotionless as he did so. He had already mopped up the filthy floor and the mess her fight had resulted in. The officer couldn't help but feel disgusted at how unaffected the man was. How many mammals had he killed to achieve this kind of emotional safety from corpses? Did taking anybody else's life even matter to him any more than eating a can of peas? She understood it was all about saving her, but she still could not understand why he had so natural about scrutinizing the recent dead body, especially when the metal bullets had made such a mess of it at close range.

Chris finished his work and came over to her, staring into her eyes. Judy did so too for a few moments before glancing away hastily, her cheeks flushing red. She could hear the soldier's sigh, heavy and sad, before seeing his shadow retrieving his pistol and reholstering it. His footsteps grew louder and louder as he approached, setting the pack onto the floor as he took something else out of it. It was only then that she realized how much pain she was going through….she glanced at the wicked wound on her left knee. Blood was still flowing out, albeit thinner now. Her eyes fixed on Chris as he worked on it, extracting some gauze and amoxicillin from the deepness of his pack.

"This is going to hurt a bit." he cautioned, preparing a syringe for her.

He turned red as Judy rolled up her pants to reveal the wound on her leg. She looked at him confusedly until he explained haltingly, "Sorry. I'm not used to seeing females...exposing their body parts."

"It's alright.." she replied hushedly, "I'm also not used to showing males my...parts of my body either."

"Fair enough." he nodded as he began applying the medicine. Judy winced as he did so, clenching her jaw to remain calm. The wound was evidently worse than she had imagined.

"Where did you get all of this?" she asked curiously, her eyes following his actions carefully.

"It's my standard medical equipment." he smiled for a moment, "It's always in my pack." he jabbed his thumb behind him, at the mountain that he called his pack. "A ton of other stuff is in there, too."

"Oh. No wonder it's always filled. Mind if I take a look?" she asked.

He hesitated for a while before answering, "Sure," he put down the amoxicillin bottle and hauled the pack over to where she was sitting, setting it onto the floor with a huge thud.

The cop sat straight to take a better look at its contents. As she busied herself with his belongings Chris took the chance to apply the amoxicillin on her, knowing that it wouldn't hurt as much if she was occupied. He smiled in his heart as he noticed the curious bunny turning everything over in her paws, staring at some of his collections in wonder. They worked in silence for a while, both of them concentrated in their own doings. Judy looked up and squinted as a beam of sunlight shone through a musty little window near the ceiling-she immediately recognized it as the type of sunset light she had learnt to love. Noticing her longing expression with which she gazed at it, even Chris couldn't help but feel his lips turn upwards.

Cautiously, she took a huge wallet out of the pack, one that seemed to be made out of some sort of artificial leather. It was surprisingly realistic to her, and slowly she unfolded it, without waiting for the soldier's permission. Remembering her manners, she looked up at Chris who reluctantly nodded and gestured at the pouch, allowing her to open it. As she did with both hands, for its size was too big for her to maneuver with only one, she understood why Chris had appeared so sad when she asked to open it. Within the layers of pockets she could see several photographs, worn with age. The bunny took one out and recognized it as the one Chris had shown her, the artefact which was strangely in black-and-white with all those young souls pictured in it.

Judy took a better look at it, holding it under the twilight glow to inspect every detail. Chris was still robotically using the amoxicillin on her multiple wounds, but she could sense his pair of eyes boring into her neck, or more accurately, the photograph. As she scrutinized it closer, she could see sinister things behind where the men were standing. All of them held the same type of rifle Chris had used only recently, and she shivered as it reminded her of how much damage it could do to a mammal. Their black silhouettes contrasted sharply with the easy smiles they bore on their lips, like how the bright light outside was cutting into the dank room. Intending to ask Chris more about it, she turned around to face him only to see droplets of tears on the brim of his eyes, just a fraction from overflowing. It evidently meant something significant to him. And what exactly did he mean by half of them had been killed before they returned home?

"I'm sorry." she apologized hastily as she slid the photograph back into one of the layers.

"No...no, it's perfectly alright." he assured, although not convincingly. His battle-hardened fingers looped around the bottle and gently screwed the cap back on, preparing the gauze beside it.

She continued to explore the labyrinth of separate layers, running her hand over a thin stack of red sheets of paper that resembled the currency she used. Intrigued, she drew one out and examined it. There was a large "100" printed in the middle, along with a few characters in his language that probably stood for the same meaning. So it was currency….the similarities between their worlds were almost uncanny. The bunny's eyes flew to the portrait of the mammal on the right side of the banknote and wondered who it might be. A singer? A politician? Or a founding father? Noticing some tiny numbers concealed below the portrait, she struggled to read it in the dim light but could only see a faint 1893 and something beginning with 19 and ending with 6 **(Note after story)**. She presumed them to be some sort of security code.

There was another photograph hidden near the black-and-white one, and hurriedly she drew it out, eager to know what story it beheld. To her surprise it was a colored one this time, and one of a huge city. At first she wondered if it might be her own, but when she noticed the "humans" standing beneath the towering city blocks she immediately dismissed the thought. A glowing sign in the picture read "Xi'an", and she wondered what kind of person would give the city such a weird name. There were a few others with the human who was tending her in the picture, posing next to a large vehicle closely resembling the ones she had ridden back in the ZPD, only painted in the wrong colors. A huge red-yellow star marked the side of the armored car, leaving Judy to guess at what it stood for.

"Is that your city-state?" she beckoned at the photograph, turning around to ask Chris.

He chuckled before answering, 'Oh no….it's a city, but not a state. It's the city where I work, a major one in the midwest. It was one of many in the country."

"And those are your comrades?

"Yes…before we were sent to Dayi. Our primary mission and responsibility is to serve the country, the State **(Note after chapter)** and the people of our country….and the world." he explained proudly.

She had no idea of what he meant by "State". How was that different from the country?

"But why did you have to do that?" her voice was no more than a mere whisper.

"Do what?" he looked confused for a while before tracking her eyes to his gun, "Oh. You meant that. Well, I…."

"You killed him."

Chris put down the gauze for a while and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. In the darkness he looked really conflicted….and hurt. Suddenly Judy wished she had been less harsh on him, or at least had chosen a different word. After all, he had only meant to save her. Yet she had no intent to take life, not even savage life.

"I'm...I'm really sorry, for what you saw. I only meant to protect you…." he stood up, stretching himself, "I never meant to cause you any sadness. Honest."

"Couldn't you have chosen something else? Like...like a..." she stuttered

"Like a tranquilizer? Since you had been compromised I automatically presumed a tranquilizer would be useless against it."

She pursed her lips. He was correct in a way.

"Could you have…."

"I'm a soldier." he shook his head, "I've been drilled that way for hundreds, if not thousands of time."

"What? To kill mammals?" she was suddenly defiant against him.

"To protect the people that need help. To serve the people in need." there was no hint of anger in his voice, and he knelt down again beside her, pressing the gauze on her knee.

She sighed. Something just got hold of her back there, and she knew she shouldn't have lashed out against him so boldly. There was a lot that was different and unexplored between them, and Judy knew she was not in the place to push them, to deepen the widening gap. They would have be solved sometime later on, once she got to safety and had to chance to prove his innocence.

"I'm….I may have done wrong. We come from different worlds….our thinking is...I mean may be drastically different."

"I understand." he tried to force a smile, "I know perfectly what you're feeling right now."

"How?"

"We have all dealt with strangers in time of desperation." Chris said cynically before repacking, making sure that the bleeding had stopped. "I know you don't trust me, but what I'm just saying is that...you could. You can."

"I'd be glad to." she answered curtly, before worriedly facing the corridor out of the room again. It was pure luck that nobody had found them hiding in there, considering the racket that they had made. The stairway must have been abandoned for a really long time.

"I need to go." he announced, before putting on his gas mask. Chris looked hideous behind it, his breath misting up the surface of his visor. "I still have a fox to find."

"No!" she gasped, surprised at how loud she had cried, "Don...Don't leave me here."

The stairway and the savage must have traumatized her greatly. Without consideration he already knew there was no purpose leaving her there. Nothing good was going to come out of it anyway An idea came into Chris's mind, and he lit up like a light bulb as it passed over. He unslung the pack from his shoulders and with his hands made a hollow space between all his scattered belongings. Would it be enough for a three-foot bunny? He really hoped so. It might be kind of uncomfortable for her, but it would have to do if she didn't want to stay there.

"Uh….you want me to…." just by watching him Judy already had a vague idea of what he was planning for her.

"Yes. Hope in….or would you rather stay here in the dark? My pack is much more habitable, I assure you."

She sighed. Desperate times called for desperate actions.

"Fine." she agreed, "But if you drop me suddenly or something, I'll...I'll….tranquilize you."

"Deal, officer." he couldn't resist laughing as she crawled in the pack, snuggening between the mounds of personal stuff he had stowed in there. "But if you damage anything important in there, I'll…"

"What? Shoot me?" the ghost of a smile crept on her face.

"I'll make you pay the full amount of the item I've lost."

She laughed, 'Deal."

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The guards examined the newcomer suspiciously, trying to see through his misty visor to no avail. One of them, a burly hog who was definitely their leader, tightened the grip on his tranq. Pistol and started rubbing his chin furiously. The others tapped their feet, wiped their brows in impatience. They had no idea of how to deal with that goon from Containment, torn between to obey his ridiculous orders or to do whatever they wanted. In fact, they were tired of all that bossing around. Their faces concealed in mysterious masks, pushing ordinary guards around, making them do degrading things….the officers from Containment always acted as if they were the ones that controlled everything. Yet nobody dared to speak out against the elite these days, not even the oldest and most experienced of them all. The hog was well aware of what consequences awaited him if he treated this "Newt" with one ounce of disrespect. Rumours were circulating like crazy that the ones in Containment were actually aliens from the other dimension. Almost no one but the new recruits from outside believed that, of course. The hog knew better...or so he thought.

Beneath his thick uniform, Chris couldn't stop sweating like a pig. Unlike half an hour ago he did not enjoy this sensation one little bit, the numerous little sticky beads hanging on to his skin and soaking him wet. He could hardly see out of his visor, and although it did help safeguard his real identity, it could be a major disadvantage if it really came down to a fight. He was barely able to see a thing through the mist, let alone aim at the enemy. On top of everything he could feel Judy squirming in the pack, kicking against his torso occasionally. It wasn't the pain that bothered him. What would he say if they demanded to search him? Shoot them? His finger felt for the trigger and curled around it. He wished he had set up some sort of communications system while Judy was hidden away in his pack-at least she could prepare in some way if things really went bad. And he had a premonition that this Sergeant wasn't exactly a welcoming one.

"So, guv'nor. What's your problem?" Judy heard the hog ask haughtily. Sweating profusely in her tiny hiding place, she could feel Chris's chest expand and contract as he breathed heavily. Like her, he was also enormously nervous.

"Under the orders of ZERB High Command, I wish to escort the intruder to a special holding cell to await interrogation." the soldier explained calmly. He had practiced that sentence for a thousand times on his way back to the Cafeteria.

The guard narrowed his eyes at him, and stepped towards hostilely. Despite reaching up to only Chris's chest level, the Chinese soldier stumbled back anxiously, afraid of what was going to happen next. He thought he heard Judy whisper "careful", and instantly remembered his "deal" with her.

"And why must I do that?" he demanded, swinging his pistol around leisurely, "You're not the boss around here. You're not my boss."

"I am acting under the orders of your boss. I have my job to do, so if you don't mind please lead me to the captive." Chris snarled at the hog, stretching to his full height. The sergeant backed off, but didn't seem too intimidated.

"Come on, just let the Newt do what he wants." one of them complained, treading towards his superior, "I'm starving."

The hog stared at his companion dumbfoundedly, lost for words.

"Come on, boss. You know we haven't eaten in a day, I know you're starving as well. Why should we bother with the business of the top? Just let 'em take care of the intruders, whoever they are. I don't really care much at this point." another voice came out from the back.

A huge growl came from the sarge's stomach. Chris could see the hog weighing his options, his forehead wrinkling as he contemplated the newcomer. He was weakening, he knew it in his heart. Hunger definitely meant a lot to this obese hog. In the huge pack, cramped amongst all of Chris's belongings, Judy prayed that the hog would just let them pass and eat whatever he wanted. She...she just needed Nick back.

"You wanna see my identity card?" Lieutenant Feng prompted.

"C'mon, Ritter! Just let him go through. I'm sick of this shit….the next shift is coming up in 5 minutes anyways. Just let him take the intruder….he's not our responsibility." another hog bounced up and begged his leader.

"Alright! You little bastards are driving me crazy!" the hog cursed and snatched Chris's ID card. Scanning it beneath a complex device, the guard tapped a few buttons on the wall and the door opened, revealing a vastness which must be the cafeteria.

"Recent additions for more security." he explained as he handed the card back to the soldier, 'There you go, guv'nor. Take your prisoner wherever you want to. Just don't be long….my mates and I are gonna eat our fill now. Peace."

He gestured at a figure with a thin frame sulking near one of the corners, guarded by 3 more of the hog's companions. As the guard shouted shrilly at them in a strange accent, they snapped to attention and hoisted the broken captive with their arms towards the door, dropping him under Chris's feet. The lieutenant hoped he wasn't too injured to walk. The fox was taller than Chris had imagined him to be, perhaps a bit more than 4 feet as Judy had described him to be. One of the guards kicked at his side, barking at him to stand up.

To Chris's relief he did, albeit slowly and weakly, grasping onto a nearby wall for balance. The fox who Judy had called Nick glared at him furiously, fangs growing out of his paws. Oh God. The soldier really hoped he didn't have to fight with this already crippled fox. He seemed in bad enough shape, but that didn't seem to have undermined his courage in resistance. Yet he wasn't sure if he could escort this captive safely. Maybe...just maybe he would have to knock him out if necessary. Chris remembered he had to make this look as realistic as possible.

"Get up, you lazy little shit!" he swore loudly as he threw a punch at the fox's shoulder blade. Chris was controlling his power expertly, but still his captive doubled over, clutching his torso in pain. The other guards watched in amusement, their hunger temporarily forgotten.

" _I'm sorry, Judy."_ thought Chris as he grabbed Nick by his collar and raised him above the ground. The fox was whimpering now, but Chris could see sparks of defiance twinkling in his eyes. He was in awe of that fox-he sure was someone he could learn from.

"What are you looking at, huh?" he yelled at the subconscious fox, slapping his cheeks brutally, "Is this how you treat your superiors in the ZPD?"

Oops. Too much information. But there was no taking it back now.

Bidding the guards farewell, he continued down the hallway towards the stairwell. Along the way Nick kept staring at him boldly and growled under his breath from time to time but said nothing else, remaining silent as if he were afraid of the human's blows. Chris was tempted for a moment to tell him who he really was, how he was really there to help but deftly resisted it. As far as he knew the cameras and the guards were still spying on him. He couldn't risk blowing his cover at such a crucial part of the game. The soldier still had to get their asses out of the compound first.

"Who the hell are you?" the fox snarled at his escort, "Just shoot me. I'm tired of playing your crappy games."

"Shut it!" Chris yelled as loudly as possible so that the guards would hear him, One more word out of you, and I will make you pay for it."

"What on earth do you even want with me anyway. I'm of no use to you." his tone was suddenly sincere, not quite as hostile, "Hey. Look at me. I'm speaking to you, predator to predator. You are one, judging by your size, right? We're all comrades…"

Hell, this fox was the hell of a con. Chris nearly had to force his ears shut as Nick blabbered on, convincing him of some sort of "predator comradeship" and how he had sworn to keep the compound a secret forever. With his experience in the human world the soldier could tell it was an experienced con he was speaking to. Hostile one second, friendly the other. At one point he was so convinced by his persuasion that he was actually tricked for a moment, trapped in the illusion that he was really a guard escorting his prisoner to his doom.

"Stow it." he whispered once he made sure they were out of earshot, "I'm here to get you the hell out of this compound."

"What..what the heck is going…" Chris smiled in satisfaction as the fox stumbled over himself, looking at the soldier in maximum shock and disbelief. "Is this some kind of cruel joke you…"

Before he even knew what was happening he was being caressed by a little grey bundle, unwillingly knocked to the ground by the force of her impact from leaping into him. Stunned, Nick slowly wrapped his thin arms around her and squeezed as tightly as he could, returning her tender embrace. He felt as if he was never going to let go. He had only gone without her for less than 6 hours…..what would happen if he ever lost her?

"God, Nick! I...I thought I'd never see you again. Where in the WORLD were you, you sly fox." Judy grinned, enjoying the sensation of lying on top of her best friend.

Feeling a weak smile returning to his lips, Nick replied, "Same for you, Carrots. Who were you hanging with while I took the blame for everything?"

He gestured at Chris playfully.

"So, who are you? Have you been trying to steal my Carrots from me?" he inquired jokingly.

"Should I?" Chris asked the bunny officer, his fingers rummaging for the opening of his mask,"I don't know how he might react."

Judy released her grip on her best friend for a while, and a thought clouded over her mind.

"Show him." she finally decided. "After all, he doesn't have a gun."

"Carrots?" a look of bewilderment overcame Nick.

The Chinese man turned around and took off his gas mask. Sucking in a breath of fresh air, he turned to greet the fox with his real identity.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wilde. Or should I say…..Officer Wilde. I've been hearing quite a lot about you from your best friend over there…." his voice faltered as he glanced at the fox.

Judy and Chris shared looks and frowned.

Officer Nick Wilde had fainted.

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 **So, that's it! This chapter might be later merged with Chapter 11 as to save some space. I really hope you've enjoyed this one! Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think. :D**

 **Note 1: The man on the photograph is Chairman Mao (Mao Zedong), born 1893, passed away 1976. He is the only person to have his portrait pictured on Chinese currency at this time of writing.**

 **Note 2: To this day, soldiers of the People's Liberation Army still swear allegiance to the State and the Communist Party of China.**


	13. Busted

Chapter 13: Busted

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"What the….?"

Nick awoke to the sensation of something icy slide along his snout, soaking wet the remains of his torn and tattered uniform as it dripped onto his body. Yelping, he scrambled to his feet, instinctively feeling for his tranquilizer that usually hung in its holster under his belt, only to be reminded of the brutal fact that he was unarmed. The fox looked around frantically at his alien surroundings, trying to figure out where he was to no avail. His first thought was that he had been captured once again, but his free movement convinced him otherwise. Apparently he was in some enclosed room around the size of his new apartment, dim glows from dozens computer monitors that lined the walls the only source of light. Was it some sort of control center? Nick's mind flew back to the series of jumbled memories shortly before he passed out-he dimly remembered embracing his beloved Carrots, having been freed by the mysterious masked soldier….who had then taken off his mask and caused him so much of a fright. A chill ran down his spine, and the officer shivered as he tried to recall what exactly he had seen when he, or it had unrevealed itself. It had no snout, no fur…..it was like nothing he had ever seen before. Were the rumors from Tyler actually genuine and not just some drunken ramble?

"Back to the world of the living, are we?" a voice questioned suddenly, out of nowhere in the darkness.

"Who….what the hell are you?" Nick stammered, backing up until he touched the wall at the corner, bracing himself into a defensive position.

"Well, that will be answered shortly. I only hope you've finished your fainting and passing out, because I'm seriously done with carrying you over my shoulder." the same voice answered, its pitch much lower than his own.

The fox opened his mouth to make a reply, but to his surprise nothing came out as he attempted to speak. It was as if his tongue had tied itself up into knots, the lump forming in his throat blocking everything he wanted to say.

"St...stay away from me." he spluttered, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, "I'm not as weak as I look, I tell you. You'll regret messing with me…"

"I'm going to break this to you slowly, okay?" the male delivered this slowly, as if he was speaking to a young child.

"Get...get away from me, whoever, whatever you…"

He hadn't even finished his sentence when another voice cut in from the unnerving silence.

"Okay, enough!" this time it was a female's, and the officer sighed in relief as he realized who it was. The lights above him blinked for a moment, before glaring and overwhelming the entire room with their brightness. Nick shielded his eyes with his paws, wincing as he adapted himself to the piercing sharpness of the office lights.

In his fatigue he could make out two blobs growing larger gradually in front of him, faint buzzes of their conversation reaching his ears. One of them was tall and slender, while the other was much shorter, with huge ears sprouting out of the top of its head. There was no question to who it was. A final shred of doubt vanished in his heavy heart, and the fox flashed a weary grin as he made his way over to the bunny he had missed so much. As he threw his arms around her he was aware of a second presence next to him, watching his every action closely, but he no longer cared. If it was Judy's friend, then that meant it was his friend as well.

"Why did you scare me like that?" he asked gently, releasing her from his grip.

She shook her head, a tiny smile on her lips, "It was Chris's idea, not mine. He wanted to tell you who he was without scaring you again." the bunny gestured at the silhouette, the mammal whom he presumed had spoken to him mysteriously from the gloominess.

Nick's legs trembled, and he fought to stay balanced as he thought of who "Chris" might be, the image of what he had seen before going unconscious haunting his exhausted mind. He wasn't sure if he could take any more shocks like this...from being knocked out by the burly guards to meeting a monster…..he felt like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. Mustering all of his remaining courage and fearing the worst, he turned to face the tall mammal who had rescued him from his captivity. After all, it had to be a living creature, and a good one too, hadn't it? Otherwise why would it have risked its own life to rescue him from the guards? Why would it have allowed him to reunite with Judy?

Bearing those few thoughts in mind he felt more confident, and the fox narrowed his eyes at the creature, blinking wordlessly at him. Mystified, Nick crossed his arms and scrutinized every part of "Chris's body, buy his eyes stayed on his face for the most amount of time. It seemed so different, hideous even, if he hadn't known better. It also walked on two legs, but that was where all the similarities ended. Now that he was much calmer, and with the knowledge that whatever it was it was here to help, the alien standing in front of him didn't seem as frightening to him as it had been half an hour ago. Or at least, that was around how long he estimated himself to have passed out for.

Chris yawned and asked annoyed, "Have you finished gawping at me yet? We have better things to do right now."

The fox shook his head in disbelief. He had spent almost all his life working with underground societies, and had earned himself a decent knowledge of what the government had skillfully hidden from its citizens. Yet the former con who had access to so much still had no idea of what he was staring at. It was like nothing he had ever seen on this Earth, and he was quite sure this extraterrestrial was not merely his imagination at work, although he did half-expect himself to wake up in bed and wonder about what extremities he had just dreamt about. Nick noticed that he had no fur at all on his face, no snout, and no tail as well. It was so unusual, so different from everything he had known up to now. It's skin was somewhat tanned, and somehow it had managed to get hold of one of the ZERB's military-like uniforms, exactly the same as the one he had donned. Was he really on their side? Doubts began to arise in his mind.

"Hello? Earth to Nick Wilde? Are you in there?" the creature bent down so that he was eye-level with the fox, and tapped his skull with his index finger. "We really need to get moving on."

"Sorry, Chris. He isn't usually like this." he faintly heard his bunny friend apologize to the creature. "Nick? This is Chris. He is here to get us out of here."

"Wha...what are you? How did you know my name?" Nick asked the alien with a new attentiveness to his voice, suddenly unafraid and eager to question. The lump was gone from where it had originally been.

The human chuckled. "My name is Feng Zhongren in my own language, but you may also call me Chris. I am a human male, a Chinese citizen to be more exact. I was serving as a lieutenant in a special unit of the PLA before being sent here under unusual circumstances. As for your second uncertainty, Judy had told me quite a bit about you before I came for you, including how close you two have been. "

The fox cop cocked his head and tried to process what he had just heard. Although he processed the sentence perfectly, some of the words stuck in between just didn't make any sense to him. Was his hearing at fault, or were some parts of this world hidden from him? He suspected the latter, for he had no idea at all of what a "Chinese" or a "PLA" was. Nick eyed the soldier once again, stretching to his full height. The human must have been at least 2 full feet taller than he was, and he hated to be threatened in any way.

"So you're not from Zootopia? That's not surprising, as I have never seen anything in my city like you before. And judging by "PLA" I presume you work for some kind of military institution, right, Fang?" the fox continued enthusiastically.

"It's Feng." he automatically corrected, 'And yes, I'm not from your city. I come from one army unit stationed in a city known as "Xi'an", which is a major Midwestern one in the People's Republic of China. I'll answer your other questions later, as there is also much I don't fully understand."

"Whatever you say, Fang. I don't really know what a "Chee-na" is, anyway." the officer pronounced the man's surname wrong deliberately, much to the human's displeasure. God, he was going to have so much fun with this extraterrestrial once they got back. The "hooman" looked so serious that Nick wasn't sure if it could take one single joke or prank without getting angry. Things were about to get very interesting, and almost immediately vague plots began to take shape in his mind. Wilde couldn't help but smirk as he spied the human frowning disapprovingly at him.

"He's from another world." the bunny quickly added, "I found him in the lab, half-dead and covered with filth all over his body. That was what told me the ZERB are up to no good. So I decided to release him and here we are now, using their own security system against them."

Nick squinted at the human, "Why did they even name you Fang? It's not like you have any of them."

"It's FENG! And no, my surname doesn't stand for Fang. It means..." flustered, Chris tried to explain himself.

But of course, the fox ignored him, "You're pretty fangless to me for someone with that name...hey! That's what I'll call you! Fangless! Genius, isn't it?"

"He's a bit overboard with those nicknames." Judy whispered hushedly to Chris.

"So, "China-mammal", where are we right now? Are we your slaves or something for the moment? Or are you going to bite us with your, um, Fang? What do you say, Fang...I mean Feng?" the fox prompted, waiting to see the human blow up in rage.

Chris took a deep breath and tried to control himself. In all his many years of service he had never met anyone whom he had grown a disliking to as fast as this fox. Out of the corner of his eye Nick could see Judy creep up and whisper something into his ear, but apart from mere whispers he could pick up nothing else. Whatever it was, it seemed to cool the alien down, and before long he was grinning slyly at Judy. Clenching both of his hands into fists, Chris rotated his chair and turned to face him once again.

"Anyway, we're in the middle of Surveillance Room 01, or so it's called around here." he continued, plumping his body down onto one of the swivel chairs near him. "It didn't really take us long to compromise the security here non-lethally, and now we have basically all the CCTV footage of the compound at our disposal. Of course, that includes the sections that captured you two on the cameras. How careless could you have been?"

He flicked a switch, and the many computer monitors originally staring blankly at them flickered into life, revealing hundreds of individual screens with black-and-white footage, each showing a different part of the compound and its inhabitants. Chris leisurely typed a few commands on his keyboard, and one of the screens was replaced by a photo, this time in color that took up the whole page. Nick stepped closer to take a better look, and was surprised to see his own face captured in it, his trademark grin frozen in time. Judy walked up next to him, and he could feel her breath on his neck as she tip-toed to peer over his shoulder.

"Wow….it's the footage from this morning." Nick rubbed his eyes unbelievably, still staring dumbfounded at the monitor.

"Didn't take me long to locate it. I've never been good with computers, but after months of having this drilled into my mind it would be hard not to know a thing or two about this." the human humbly shrugged it off.

"Apparently our human here has been working for a few months in a surveillance center before coming over here, and fortunately for us he is able to maneuver his way through the system like he's been working here all his life." Judy cut in, leaning against the table Chris was at, "Now we're always a step ahead of the ZERB authorities, tracking them through their own cameras. They'll never be able to capture us."

Nick's glance flew to the other side of the room, and he instinctively jumped back in shock as he saw what was concealed over there. Approximately half a dozen bodies donning ZERB uniforms lay unmoving on the ground, packed together like sardines in a can. At first the fox thought they were corpses and froze in terror, but as one of them breathed slightly, he knew Judy had been at work with her tranquilizer again. He smiled ever so briefly as he imagined the scene of the bunny taking on 6 guards with just a tiny little pistol. They didn't stand a chance against her, never could.

"That is the least of our problems." Chris sighed deeply, and placed one of his hands over his forehead, "The monsters over the radio have been going crazy for the past 15 minutes. I wouldn't be too surprised if they…."

"Maybe it's because you threatened to bite them? With your…" Nick was about to continue when a harsh glare from the human silenced him, "Sorry, what was that again? What's the matter, hooman?"

"Nick!" Judy was now furious, her paws on her hips, "Now is not the right time for jokes!"

"I'd hardly call them that. Thank you, Judy." Chris nodded thankfully at the bunny, "As for the trouble I've mentioned, it appears that my absence in the laboratory has been noted, along with all the traces of our little….conflict."

"You knocked them out, Judy? Atta girl." Nick commented jokingly, earning himself another groan from Chris. Feng was having an absolutely hard time putting up with this con, and the circumstances he was in did not make it any easier for him. He was communicating with talking animals, for one example!

"Actually, it was more of a team effort." Judy forced a grin at her partner, but her annoyance at his immaturity was becoming unsubtle, "But clearly the monsters from the ZERB view it as a completely different story."

"Exactly. Before you woke up and started making your retarded remarks," Chris snapped at the fox, "We managed to connect to their radio channels with several of the wireless command systems we found here, and now we're ordering them to spin around like headless chickens, sending them everywhere in the compound apart from this very room. Best of all, nobody is even questioning what they're being ordered to do-works out perfectly for me."

"Sweet." the con whistled, shoving his paws into his torn pockets.

"By "WE", it means Judy and I. You never took part."

"It was mostly Chris, to be honest." Judy admitted shyly, "I just stood by and watched."

"If you hadn't freed me then none of this would ever have happened." Chris nodded, clasping his hands together, "Rescuing Nick, trolling the ZERB, screwing up their plans…..it would have been a totally different story. It is all thanks to you."

The radio set a few meters away from Chris crackled, and the dominant static was soon replaced by a gentle humming. The human gestured at the two animals, putting his index finger on his lips. The contact had to be made in silence. He leaned closer to the device as he impatiently awaited the incoming message, the tension in the center growing tenser and tenser as their ears got used to the silence.

"Hello, is this Surveillance? We really need some backup around here." a male's voice cut into the room, his heavy breathing clouding over the radio.

"Yes, this is 001 speaking. Please state your inquiry or need of assistance." the soldier grabbed the wireless and started speaking professionally, "Is there anything we can help you with?"

The mammal on the other side groaned, "The entity is nowhere to be seen. My company has already secured both of the stairwells at the New Wing, but we have no traces or contact. I repeat, no contact at the moment. Do you have any idea of where it is?"

"What is the entity?" Nick asked confusedly, only to be hushed down by his partner.

"I'll check the cameras." Chris replied without any hint of emotion, and scooted over to one of the dozens of computers. He pretended to type a few commands, and held the radio to his mouth again, "Negative. We can't find it on any of the cameras. Squad 4A reported contact 10 minutes ago, near Laboratory 731. You might want to secure that as well, just in case. Oh, and before you check that out mind if you buy some fried chicken from the Cafeteria for the troops? Thanks-direct commands from the Top. "

"I guess that's what we're meant for, right guv'nor? Chasing around mindlessly for the top brass….that's not your fault either, is it? You've got your marching orders too….but try to be a little bit more helpful, okay? Signing out for now."

The light on the radio blinked out and the entire room returned to silence. Relieved, Chris dropped the radio onto the table with a heavy thud, fanning himself with his palm. Nick and Judy shared a long look, and waited for the lieutenant to say something.

"They're getting suspicious." he sighed deeply and spoke, "I don't think I'll be able to toy with them much longer."

"So…." the fox made a wide gesture with his arms, "We ought to get the hell out of here."

He glanced anxiously at the steel door behind him, a red light blinking docilely on some sort of numerical pad he suspected to be a security lock.

"Don't worry, it's locked." Feng said, as if reading his mind, "Changing the password was the first thing I did when I got in here."

"But still they're still going to find us sooner or later." Nick continued, looking up at the seated human, "The paper cannot wrap around the fire forever-we're bound to be discovered."

"He's got a point." Judy eyed the fox and sent him a thumbs-up, "Seems like someone's finally suggested something we could use for once."

"Hey, I…" the fox protested, "It was my idea to invest…"

The human held up his paw...hand for silence, and interrupted their friendly bickering. Not unlike the fox he was also getting increasingly worried, the demands from the soldiers in the compound becoming harder and harder to deal with-some were already starting to see through their disguise. They didn't have too much time left in their hands...or paws.

"Easier said than done." the human groaned again as he stood up and stretched. Another radio farther away from them crackled, and a frantic voice was clearing his throat, "Okay, I gotta take care of those suckers for a minute or two. How about you take care of Wilde, Judy? He seems to be wounded in some places."

Pushing the battered swivel seat away, he headed over to the other radio area at the far corner of the room, slinging his backpack and gear over his shoulder. His bulky automatic rifle still leaned menacingly against his workbench, its dark silhouette shimmering under the glare of the lights above their heads. Nick was about to release his anxiety, but as if remembering something, Chris stopped in his tracks and hissed something sinister into the fox's ear.

"If you weren't for me you'd be dead. Bear that in mind before insulting me, please." he crouched down until he was eye-level with the fox, staring directly at him to truly make a point.

Nick simply snorted, raising his eyebrow at the extraterrestrial who had rescued him. But surprisingly he remained silent, saying nothing as the soldier straightened himself.

Chris paused to toss the bunny a medical kit full of equipment which was at least the size of her head, and disappeared behind the rows of computers. A few moments later a click could be heard and Chris was talking into the radios again, giving fake orders to lead the ZERB away from them, leaving the two officers on their own.

"You really trust him?" Nick whispered as his partner rolled up her sleeves, taking some bandages and gauze out of the box, "I'm not sure we should."

"I don't really know," she replied, motioning for the fox to lie down, "It's impossible to think straight like this, and our only chance of getting out of here is to work together. It...it just seems I've left the normal world and jumped off a cliff into a frozen sea. I don't think anything will be the same ever again, especially not with something as mysterious as this."

"But he's an extraterrestrial from another world!" Nick argued, placing his arms below his head to form a cushion, "You don't even know him that well. Think of what he might be…..why else would he be imprisoned here under the strictest security? He must have done something wrong."

"Even murders don't deserve to be cut up and tested on." she cooly answered, rubbing something soothing onto Nick's leg, "There was a companion with him, Nick. Do you know what had happened to him?"

"Fangless's companion?" the officer asked, "Imprisoned for his crimes, maybe?"

"He was killed. Or at least, I assume that's what its gender was. Chris's companion was actually….actually being tested on."

Nick winced, but was it from her story or merely the effects of the alcohol Judy could not tell. She rolled up the remains of his pant legs, and recalled how Chris had done the same for her in the hallway. Another reason why they should trust him to get out of there.

"He saved me….twice. Not just once." she continued, staring into Nick's eyes, "First in the laboratory, when a guard tried to shoot us. He knocked me out of the way so that I could be safe-he didn't think of his own safety."

"But...but he barely knew you." he stammered.

"I know, and that's what made it so unbelievable. And for the second time…" her force trailed off, "I nearly died, you know? Back when you were still in the Cafeteria."

Nick was quite taken aback, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. Kneeling down to inspect the bunny, he felt as if his mind was on fire. He didn't mind being hurt himself, but the fox could never imagine somebody trying to injure, let alone kill his beloved friend.

"What happened?" he demanded, grasping her shoulders, "Are you hurt?"

"I was." she smoothed her ruffled fur and said, "And if it weren't for Chris I could have been killed just now. It...it was a save, Nick. I don't really have any idea how it came to be, but...it was Will, the guard we encountered this morning. He...he had become savage and tried to kill me in the darkness."

"Wh...Why have things come to this?" Nick shook his head, trying to take what he had just heard all in.

"He killed it in the nick of time. It was really messy, and I had really hoped there could have been another way of stopping him but…..Will, I mean the savage, seemed to be immune to pain, to tranquilizers even. It must have been a really powerful drug."

"Wow." that was all that managed to come out of his mouth, his brain still fervently processing the recent information. Glancing back at the busy human, he replied, "I could never imagine anyone, let alone him, being that loyal to somebody they hardly even knew."

"Yes. So, please…trust him, okay? At least for the time being. I know he trusts me, and I feel that I should do the same in return. We should do the same, until we get out of here. Then we can solve this….together. We can put an end to this madness."

The fox reluctantly nodded, 'Fine. Doesn't seem all that bad to me."

But there was something unnerving still lingering on his mind, something that he failed to remember but still retained a vagueness of. What was it? Despite Judy's persuasion he still wasn't completely confident that he could place his trust in that unworldly being.

"Good. I always knew you are smart fox on the inside, even though you rarely show your talent at work." the bunny chuckled, wrapping her arms around him in a little embrace. "Here, take a look at this."

She passed him a huge piece of folded parchment, different diagrams and words scribbled on top of it. It didn't take Nick long to figure out it was a map of the compound. Incredulous, he laid it out on the floor, his eyes scanning the layout of the base for any useful directions. Colorful lines which he had no clue of what they signified were running everywhere, forming a labyrinth of their own.

"What the…." he gasped. It was all they needed to get out of here. "I guess we're set to leave this place then."

"Not quite." Judy had finished patching his wounds up and was now retrieving all the equipment, cautiously placing them neatly back into the medical box.

"Hmm? Am I forgetting something?" he prompted, a sly grin creeping up his lips.

"Definitely. If you think you're going to make it out in those rags of yours, you're nuts."

Nick looked up and wondered why he hadn't noticed that beforehand. The bunny had discarded her nerdy lab coat and instead of finding a similar replacement, she was dressed in a guard's fatigues made her size, her body blending in well with the camouflage that decorated the uniform. As she adjusted her cap the fox just couldn't resist looking at her. To him, she had never been so attractive before. He stood aside idly as she studied the map, his jaw subconsciously gaping open as his eyes followed her actions.

"Um, hello? If we're really getting out of this place, then you should really get dressed." Judy's complaint snapped him back into his senses.

"Oh, of course, I…." he fumbled for the new uniform she had given him, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

"You weren't looking at something...or somebody, were you?" she teased.

Nick hadn't even come up with a suitable response to defend himself when Chris's cursing sent them running across the room.

Unbeknownst to them, things were getting drastically wrong.

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(15 minutes earlier)

The human made himself comfortable in his new seat and struggled hopelessly to untangle the rubber wires attached to the radio's headset. Pulling the device onto his ears, he twisted on a few knobs and grabbed the microphone which would allow him to speak to whoever was on the other side, trying to raise the mammals that were trying to speak to him. It still shocked him how similar the two worlds were in terms of technology and architecture. The radio in front of him operated exactly the same as the one he was in charge of back in Xi'an, and he daydreamed that they were actually the same model. Of course, he understood that this was impossible.

"Hello? This is Surveillance 01. What is your situation?" he asked into the radio, numbly repeating the opening line which he had used a million times before.

"This is Colonel Tigerstone. Arthur J. Tigerstone, to be exact. Who am I speaking to?" a harsh, emotionless voice sent his heart beating. It was a high-ranking officer he was dealing with.

"I'm Lieutenant Wulff, Klaus Wulff from Company 88D, sir." he hastily read the name off the ID card of a guard he had knocked out earlier in the lab, "Honored to help you, sir."

"Get the formalities away with. We have serious problems to solve." the tiger (or so he presumed) growled from the other end.

Chris gulped and said nothing. He had always hated dealing with his superiors, but somehow being in a foreign organization seemed to make it even worse. On top of all that, Tigerstone's tone already hinted at the fact that he was extremely pissed off, and somebody was going to die that night because of his mood. The human sincerely hoped that they would have enough time to get their asses out of there before he really blew up on them.

"Of course, sir." he muttered politely, tapping his feet impatiently on the ground, "Is there a problem?"

"What do you think?" the Colonel roared at him, "The whole fucking base is in complete disorder, and you still don't think there's a damn problem? God, what is wrong with you?"

"I am aware of that, sir." Chris was struggling to remain composed, "I...we have been trying to track the Entity with our footage and it has proven itself to be a horrendously crafty being, sir. It seems to deliberately avoid all of our security cameras-so far none of our personnel have reported contact."

"None at all?" he didn't seem convinced.

"Negative, sir. The other companies are trying to track the two intruders to no avail. Communications have very nearly broken down….the whole compound is in disarray, sir. It is a total nightmare trying to track 2 intruders and an entity which we have no idea about…..we're already lock-downing the base, and I believe…."

"You know those are only excuses right? I sent Surveillance all the details they needed to track them down half an hour ago! Goddamn it, are you all really that clueless? It's that fucking black laptop!"

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. We haven't received the laptop." the human made a mental note to check it out later on, "And currently we're trying to direct our troops to all the most logical destinations…."

"Give me Major Benson. I'm done with your bullshit." the order was swift, as if he just ignored what Chris had said.

Who the hell was Benson? Chris thought, "Uhhh, sir? The Major isn't here in the surveillance center. He went on break a few minutes ago. How about this, I'll put him through when…."

"Nonsense!" the Tiger barked, "My list shows that he should be on duty at this moment, and his absence would automatically violate the Gotterdammerung Protocol Number 210! My guess is that he knows better than to disobey my commands. The whole base is on freaking lockdown! He should not be going anywhere!"

"I'm honest, sir, Major Benson is not present…" he was running out of reasons now. He had to drag this on no matter what.

"I have a machine here that tells me when you're lying." the answer came.

Feng gulped. During his time in the military he had confirmed the existence of such a machine, and he had personally witnessed it being used during the numerous interrogations with enemy POWs during the Liberation of 2018. He understood this "lie-detector" Tigerstone was hinting at was more than just a simple myth to scare him.

"I'm telling the truth, sir." he pretended to be confident, knowing perfectly that the machine was meant to pick up variations in his voice and heartbeat, "We have had no success in tracking the intruders. Troops have been sent to secure the laboratory and some report possible evidence, but no more than that has been proven, sir."

"Good. Then I'll leave you to your duties." Arthur was suddenly cool, unusually polite to his subordinate, "Oh, and, just one more thing."

"Of course, sir. Ready to help." he sighed in relief. Maybe they had more time than they had thought.

"There is something that I fail to understand….." the Colonel paused, as if to choose his words, "Why would Lieutenant Klauss P. Wullf be working at the Surveillance Center when he's supposed to be stationed at the Main Entrance?"

Chris felt the sickening sensation in his stomach return, and his panic overwhelmed his mind and his ability speak.

"I...I can explain…"

"Of course, no question about how reasonable this scenario is. Perfectly logical. How could an unconscious wolf, when supposed to be reported in the infirmary being treated for multiple wounds to the torso, be talking to me right now?" his voice was now triumphant, with even a hint of superiority.

Chris was lost for words. He no longer had any way to defend himself against the Colonel's accusations…..the game was over, all was lost. They had to prepare for their escape before it got too late.

"I'm sorry, son….but your attempts at sabotaging our base are futile...pathetic, even." he seemed almost apologetic, "Especially that one about the fried chicken, it sucked. Shut them down."

The last 3 words were no more but a whisper to his ears, presumably not directed to him but to somebody else on the other side. Chris was jolted to his senses, leaping to his feet and knocking away the chair in fright as he did so. Yet he knew the process was inevitable, unstoppable-he could do nothing but watch on as his plan crumbled around him. Before his very eyes the computer monitors turned black one by one, their images flickering into nothingness until their screens were blank once more, staring at him emptily. His hands rested angrily but powerlessly at his sides, unable to do anything to reverse Tigerstone's revenge. His experience back in Xi'an told him that the so-called "shutting down" was most possibly a system override from a main computer set somewhere covert in the facility, and despite his wishes he was nowhere near the standard of hacking into it. Helpless, he slammed his fist into the wooden work desk, the force of the impact practically breaking it into half.

"Shit!" he swore, "Shit!

The two "animals" overheard him and raced over, their eyes clouded in fright as they saw him explode in fury for the first time. Judy trembled and placed her paw over her mouth anxiously, not understanding at all what had caused the human to be so mad at them. Nick stood by her side in his flashy new uniform, putting his arm consolingly around her. Seeing her expression Chris regretted his sudden outburst, but again he was in no situation to adjust himself-they were in hot water, and that tsunami it caused was soon going to engulf them all. He desperately had to think.

"It's all my fault." he collapsed onto the ground, "We're done for."

"How?" ignoring Nick's glance she freed herself from his arm, extending an arm to help the human up, "Things seemed pretty fine."

"I know, I know….but it's too late. They're coming for us-we've been found out, I don't know how." he tried to avoid the fox's accusative glare, "Of course, Nick! You're right! It's all my fault….I've let you guys down."

"But the door?" a voice asked. In his anger at himself he couldn't tell who it was.

"It's locked. They've changed the password." Chris slowly sauntered along the walls, his feet half-heartedly kicking at the carpeted floor, "It's no use. We're outnumbered, outgunned. I don't know what they're going to do with you guys, but I'm pretty sure they're going to…."

"Chris. Stop." the bunny hopped onto one of the tables so that she was eye-level with him, clasping his paw onto his shoulders, "Stop that right now." she ordered.

Feng was so shocked by the authority in her tone that he immediately stopped pacing and looked up at her silently, awestruck by her courage. Even Nick stopped glaring menacingly at the human and instead joined Judy by the table, awaiting what she had to say.

"What's wrong with you? You were never like this." her stare pierced into him.

"They've got us cornered. The doors locked. There is no way out…..the most we could do is probably…."

"Are you ready to die? Do you want me to die? If you don't care about yourself then at least think about Nick and I."

Chris fidgeted nervously, ashamed to meet her gaze.

"Look...I know they're coming for us. But are you sure you want everything to end like this? You are a soldier, we are both cops….we've all been through a lot. Surviving a great deal no longer means a lot to us. There's got to be a way to solve this, isn't there? When there's a will, there's a way."

When there's a will, there's a way, Samantha's last sentence resurfaced in his mind. His memory flew back to how he had escaped the narrowly sabotage back at the ICED, his own execution/torture in the horror room called the 'Main Laboratory", the fights with the ZERB guards, saving the ungrateful fox….Chris had barely been in this new world for a day, yet he had probably already seen more than what one of its common citizens would see in his or her lifetime. Next to him Judy was expectantly looking at him, the expression in her eyes betraying her longing for him to refill with determination, with the persistence he once possessed in his heart.

He felt strangely empty, the flame that originally burned inside of him no more than a remaining spark, a step away from being completely extinguished. Outside he thought he could hear the thumps of heavy boots on the tiles, distant shouting growing closer and closer to his ears. A sensation he couldn't place seared through his body, but as he weighed his options a saying from a forgotten era, one that had passed on through generations from his country found its way into his thoughts, and amongst the millions of jumbled considerations it succeeded in illuminating his soul, shining a final ray of hope into his wasted body.

"星星之火， 可以燎原"-Even a spark can set a field ablaze.

Remembering it, chanting it subconsciously in his mouth, he let his heart burn.

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"We found something while you were busy.", Nick pointed towards a dusty cabinet clustered among other unused benches, "They seem to be some sort of weapon, but I'm not exactly sure what they were. Heck, there were boxes of them. You'd better check it out while we still have time."

"Will do." Chris carefully treaded his way through the mounds of litter sprawling on the floor, trying hard not to trip on some piece of stray garbage, "Describe it to me."

"Well, it's hard to say…..there was some sort of instruction manual included in the box but it was incomprehensible-I'm 100% sure it wasn't in Zootopian." Judy quickly added, following the human in case he needed assistance, "I think these boxes were left behind for the Surveillance Crew to test sometime in the future. Those devices were things that I've never ever seen before."

Grunting, Chris lifted one of the heavy boxes off from the shelves, slowly setting it down on the floor. Nick stepped closer to take a better look, and with his paws swept away the thin layer of dust covering its lid. The fox scrutinized it curiously but no matter from which angle he looked, he could come to no conclusion of what it bore on its surface.

Kneeling on the floor, Chris undid the lock holding it together and his nimble fingers turned over the lid, the hinges creaking as he did so. Gasping, he looked inside and was greeted by rows and rows of grenades neatly packed together-God, the firepower in there must have been enough to blow up the whole base.

But those were not conventional grenades. Turning one of them over in his hands, he could tell that they were quite unusual from the explosive and fragmentation ones he had used back home. His forehead twisted into wrinkles as he went into deep thought, recalling his training from years ago.

"Maybe this should come in handy." Judy whispered, handing him a document several pages thick. Intrigued, Chris flicked through the pages and his eyes scanned the words jotted on top. A tiny grin appeared on his lips as he understood what they really were.

"特制烟雾弹，燃烧弹，化学催淚弹…沈阳兵工厂造."-Special smoke grenades, incendiaries, tear gas…...made by Shenyang Arsenal.

He turned to the last page of the Chinese manual. There was a huge red stamp with a star beneath his thumb, and as he gently moved it he immediately recognized what it stood for. It was a permit from the People's Republic, granting full permission for the weapon to be sold and transported. But to where? Zootopia? Was his military really so desperate for exports?

His glance shifted to the huge map he had given Judy, which was now lying open on the desks, taking up at least 4 of them. He crawled through the rubble and with his finger traced the colorful lines that spread everywhere inside the base, each marked with a separate color. He looked at the grenade grasped in his hand, and back at the unknown diagram in front of him.

"One of them leads directly to our room," Judy leapt onto the map and guided his hand, "See? The red line. It stretches to this room from a place marked….'Fans'?"

Chris's mind was buzzing. Those were ventilation shafts. And if there were shafts, then there had to be fans where all the air was propelled…..tear gas, knock-out gas, Judy, ventilation….it all combined together. There had to be a way.

"Judy," the grin on his face grew larger and larger, "You're a genius."

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"Steady, steady…" Nick muttered as he stood on his tiptoes on top of the desk, stretching his arms as far as he could so that it scraped the bottom of the stainless steel lid. Chris was working on a bench opposite to him, cursing under his breath while beads of sweat flowed like an endless river into his sweatshirt. Both of the men were struggling to lift up the hatch that led to the ventilation shaft, and their hopes for an easy task were dashed when they found out it was evidently much heavier than they had expected. It was only their immense willpower that barely kept them going, but the fox's face flushed red as his body threatened to buckle under the great weight.

The lid clanged noisily as they removed it from its placement and threw it with all the energy they had away from them, spraying up a halo of dust on the floor when it landed. Nick collapsed onto the floor, his muscles sore from all the weightlifting. The fox felt so wasted that he doubted if he still had any energy left inside of him. Nick already felt faint just by imagining putting the hatch back in place if they needed to-he really hoped he hadn't strained anything major. What species for the huge hatch meant for? Elephants or something? Exhaustedly, he mopped his forehead dry with the back of his paw.

Beside him Chris had already caught his breath and recovered his strength, confirming the details with Judy over the map for one last time. She had tied dozens of the "grenades", as Chris had called them, to her flexible uniform. When he had asked her what they were all about, she simply giggled and promised to tell him later.

"Do you need me to throw you up?" Feng looked down at the bunny, "Isn't that a bit too high for you?"

"Nah, you'll be surprised when you see what I'm capable of doing." Judy joked back. She took a deep breath, and in a few great leaps she had reached the top of the shaft, moving so fast that even Chris had trouble watching her. He looked away, but she could tell that he was amazed.

"I couldn't let you bring a walkie-talkie because of the risks of being overheard." the human yelled up, "But my guess is that you'll be fine. Just don't let anyone see you crawling up there!"

"M'kay," she raised her thumb in agreement, "Wow….I can actually walk upright in here. This is huge."

"Good luck…..you'll need it" the lieutenant grimaced, "You're our only hope."

"Sure. Lay the pressure on her." Nick scolded, but only mockingly, "Get it done with, Carrots, and before long we'll be on that date you promised me. Still remember that?"

Chris could never be sure, but was it possible for bunnies to blush?

"Make sure you move fast after you ignite the bombs." the human remarked for the last time before Judy disappeared from sight into the shafts, "The agent is released a few minutes after you do so! According to my calculations it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to spread here…..no less than 20 to spread throughout the whole base!"

He waited for an answer from her, but she was gone.

"Great girl, isn't she?" Nick joined him and stared up at the pitch black emptiness of the ventilation system.

"Yep." he replied dreamily, gazing at the direction where she had gone. "I've never met anyone with such a great personality like hers, let alone an animal."

The fox didn't exactly understand the last part of what the human had said, but he decided to let it go for the time being.

"Explains why you kept staring at her from across the room. In your defense, she does look cool in that uniform. Hey! Where are you going?" the cop teased.

Chris avoided the question and instead walked towards one of the walls, crouching down to Nick's shoulder level and started inspecting a section silently. The fox immensely curious about his actions when he saw the human tap the obstruction in front of him with an outstretched finger, listening in closely. Jokingly he imitated him, a smirk drawn on his lips as he pretended to be serious.

"Shhh…." the soldier told him off sternly, and unslung the heavy rifle which he had been carrying on his shoulder. Wilde looked on amusedly, and daydreamed that the Chinese man was going to knock him out with the weapon. He wouldn't be surprised if he really did, considering the relationship between them.

Feng swung the butt of his rifle against the wall, making a deafening crunching sound. It echoed all across the room, and Nick was tempted to stop him when he swung it in an arc again and again like he was possessed, crashing the metal into the plaster. He half-expected the gun to bend, but instead part of the wall flaked off and revealed some kind of empty spacing within, occupied with dust and a complicated mess of wires

"Just as I had expected," he remarked, peering into the gaping hole that now decorated the wall, "It's a dry wall."

"Drywall? Now you're confusing me, man. First it was with the grenades, and now it's this….you'd better explain what the hell is going on here in this whirlwind…..hey! What's happening?' his voice trailed off as the human threw him a mangle of several walls tied together.

"Better get to work, Mr. Fox." the ghost of a grin appeared on his tanned and worn face, "We have tons of work to do. I'll explain as we get cracking."

And hesitantly he did.


	14. Che Tui! (Retreat)

**Chapter 14:** _**Che Tui! (Retreat!)**_

Judy crawled along the rusted and damp tunnel far above the ground, trying to ignore the horrendous stench that soon overwhelmed her senses. Below her she could distinctly hear the cacophony of the mobilizing soldiers, the harsh orders of their superiors ringing endlessly in her ears…..considering how urgent they sounded she guessed that they only had a few minutes left, fifteen tops. Wiping away a bead of sweat from her now moistened fur, Judy tried concentrating on the seemingly never-ending path in front of her. To her desperation the battery of her torch was slowly dying, the faded beam it barely emitted beginning to flicker, bathing the ventilation shaft in a dim shade of light.

She hated to imagine how the tunnel would be like in pitch darkness.

Adjusting the military uniform Chris had given her, Judy pulled the crumpled map out from her pocket and attempted futilely to consult it in the faint light. She was very nearly **there** -perhaps only a few more bends and she'd reach the huge fans that continuously propelled fresh air all around the compound, powerful enough to suck her away if she weren't careful enough. The bunny cop pulled out one of the "special" grenades she had concealed and grinned slightly, but deep in her mind she knew something for sure-the plan seemed flawless on paper, but to make it work was a completely different story.

What seemed like eternity passed as she speed-walked along the cavern-like ventilation shafts, trying hard not to make a noise as her paws romped over the dilapidated metal sheets that made up the shaft's floor. Occasionally she could a few strands of light from the tiny slits that led out to the beyond, but Judy quickly turned her head away, shielding herself from the painful rays that penetrated directly into her eyes. She had gone too far to jeopardize the mission. At the back of her mind, she secretly fretted on how the furry fox and the human might be getting along-God forbid that they turn on themselves before the ZERB even arrived! Yet, that was not the worst thing she could imagine happening to her friends…..

More disturbing thoughts started to invade her mind. Anxiously, her paws reached for her forehead and rubbed it softly, as if it could shut the thoughts out from her already overworked brain.

Her huge ear flaps faintly detected the whirring of a set of heavy machines in the distance, and as she stepped toward they became even clearer in her mind. Gentle gusts of wind ruffled her fur, filling every crevice and space in her uniform. Not bothering to comb the wild "hairstyle" she now had on her head, Judy tried enjoying the breeze and continued on her way until a sudden clang and an unbearable pain in the head dazzled her like a whirlwind. In her hurry she hadn't noticed that the ceiling had started sloping down until it was on par with the top of her head, smoothing down the random spikes of fur. Much to her annoyance, she now had no choice but to go down on all fours. Feeling like a toddler again, the officer crawled as fast as she could, trying not to notice the growing pain in her head-was it actually getting hot in there? A pool of sweat was certainly gathering on the floor where she laid, and for some reason the wind from the fans was not exactly helping.

Exhaustedly, she groped for her canteen in desperation, only to discover she had left it in the control center. When had she started becoming so careless? Nevertheless, she moved on-only God knew how long she had left in her paws.

The wind was becoming stronger now, kicking up wave after wave of dust and sediment that used to pile on the floor. Vividly remembering the ordeal she had gone through at the Sandstorm Range back at the training academy, Judy made herself as flat as she could on the floor, protecting herself from the flying particulates that now were swirling all around her. Before long, her eyes began to sting despite her bravest attempts-oh, how she wished she still had her canteen with her! For a moment, she nearly lost a grip on the ice-cold metal, but stretching her long legs between the two walls of the ventilation shaft and kicking her way towards, the rabbit made her way to where the fans were.

She could barely keep her eyes open anymore with the powerful gusts of sharp wind prickling her pupils, but using her sense of touch she managed to pull out the entire chain of grenades Chris had entrusted her with. Judy had never used a grenade before, but trying her best to recall all that she had learnt from the Chinese soldier, she took one last deep breath. " **It's going to be alright. You'll make it."** she kept repeating to herself until her voice started cracking from the dryness in her throat. Even with her recent confidence boost, she couldn't stop asking herself - _**How much more do I have to go through?**_

She was just going to get it over with.

It was literally a hurricane in there, and Judy had to muster all of her strength just to keep her eyes wide enough to peek inside. Pulling off the pin of the lead grenade, she chucked the entire chain into the chamber and braced with her paws covering her moist head. She thought she heard a soft clanging of metal against metal, but she could never be sure against the chaos the machine was emanating. Slamming herself flat onto the floor, to minimize her body surface, she smiled in satisfaction as she caught the faint "hissing" sound of the gas slowly leaking out of the grenades. It wouldn't take long for the gas to spread all around the base. Silently, she rooted for the ingenious tactic she had come up with all by herself-but at the same time, she could merely ponder about what sort of country could be desperate enough to produce such weapons of mass destruction? She was well-aware of the potential damage they could cause when she had prepared their breakout. Judy made a mental note to herself to ask Chris when…. **If** she returned to him safely.

Her paws felt something tucked beneath her waistband. Remembering what Chris had said to her about the effects of the gas, she hastily pulled it out in panic.

Looking behind her for the last time, Judy reluctantly strapped the gas mask onto her face, a sleek black, rubbery contraption that stank of sweat. A layer of mist soon appeared annoyingly on her visor, and she struggled to breathe in enough air from the filter. _**Whoever thought of this device must have been insane,**_ Judy thought to herself in the near darkness. However, she was forced to change her mind before long when she vaguely caught sight of the swirling vapours enveloping her, hissing menacingly as they eagerly escaped from their metal containment.

For once, Judy was glad that she had her gas mask on.

 **0000000000000000000000000000000**

Chris automatically curled up into a ball and crashed into a cabinet as he heard the explosions, covering the back of his head with a helmet he had scavenged from the mess. The fox beside him cowered in fear, his uncontrollable anxiety betrayed by his eyes. Yet at the same time both his paws were still subconsciously fumbling with the wires that led from the drywall, blindly pulling them out and curling them up on the floor next to him.

"干他妈的...She's really done it!" Chris came to his senses, glancing up at the cover of the ventilation shaft. He hurried to the spot right beneath it, beads of sweat rolling down his back as his ears picked up the approaching pawprints rattling on the coat of rusty metal.

The Chinese soldier turned to Nick, still standing motionlessly near the gaping hole which they had created earlier, "Fetch the damn ladder, Nick. Are you a cop or not?"

A thousand retorts floors the officer's mind, but miraculously he obeyed, heaving a stepladder almost twice his size underneath the cover. He put his paws on his hips and gazed up in wonder.

"Atta Girl." He muttered under his breath. That bunny was capable of _**anything**_.

The lid creaked and came down with a deafening clang as Chris begrudgingly forced it open, a little gray mass leaping into the fox's welcoming embrace. The lieutenant watched on in utter amazement, and as he did a deep pain echoed in his broken heart, reminiscing of an age distant and long-gone. For a moment, it seemed as if the world had come to a standstill, as if they weren't under such unrelenting pursuit.

"I did what you told me to with the frag ones." Judy finally freed herself from the fox's caress and reached the lowest rung of the ladder, "I found the storerooms where you had thought them to be."

"Well that should've distracted them enough for a while…. now they should think they're more of us lurking around. Nothing like rattling the morale of your enemy during battle." Chris commented, tying on his own gas mask

"Is something wrong, Judy?" He inquired apprehensively, noticing her droopy ears and downfallen gaze.

"Well, I only hope nobody was hurt…..They're literally monsters, but that sure doesn't give us a reason to kill them, does it?" she looked up at him, the fog on the visor covering her beautiful violet iris.

"Well, we were only doing this for self-defense.." his voice trailed off. Chris would have asked her more, but Nick's warning glare convinced him otherwise.

The siren roaring over the PA shook them from their brief daze, a lifeless howl that reminded them time was no longer in their paws. At nearly the same moment a violent hammering came from the door, deep growls outside cursing under their breath.

"I shot the codepad…..It might slow them down,but it won't last. Don't count on it." Feng tightened the straps on his mask, ushering Nick to do the same, "Hustle up, Wilde, assuming that you don't want to be knocked out and wake up with a terrifying headache. I'm sick of carrying you over my shoulder."

Rolling his eyes, the fox hesitantly pulled his own out of his pack, ignoring the flurry of giggles that seemed to have come from Judy. Meanwhile, Chris raised his rifle and slammed its solid butt against the reinforced windows, a painful shaft of daylight slicing into the room. Tossing the weapon aside, the soldier took a quick scan of his surroundings, his eyes wincing from the sudden light change.

"Seems clear. The rest of the guards must have taken flight when they heard the explosions. Weren't many to begin with anyway." he began throwing the sections of wires over the windowsill, down the entire height of the 3-storey compound. He was trying to keep as calm as he could, but even in his panic he couldn't help but overhear the frequent clanging emanating from the door, the enemy outside still attempting futilely to break in-God,that obstacle must have been bomb-proof at least. And it sure helped that the animals didn't seem to posses pyrotechnics of any kind.

"Wait….we...we're going off that thing? You've got to be kidding me" Nick shook his head, arms crossed in front of his chest, "I don't really fancy a nine-meter drop, no thanks, sir."

"Don't worry," Chris rubbed the grit off his hands and turned to Judy, "it's sturdier than it looks. Sure, we used rope as training, but I guess we've got to improvise now, do we?"

The fox gulped and prepared to object, but another round of hammering sent him crouching behind the stacks of folders, paws on his empty holster.

"Alll...Alright, I'm going down." he gulped anxiously, never having been good with heights. He still hadn't forgotten his endeavour with Carrots when they swang on the vines…..

"Nope. Ladies first." tying a knot with the end of the wire to the iron windowframe, Chris handed the thick bunch to the bunny waiting impatiently beside her, 'This should be a piece of cake to you. Just slide down."

The bunny did the impression of raising an eyebrow at him. Grabbing the edge of the rope, she leapt over the windowsill and down the enormous compound. Embracing the welcoming gusts of cold wind that tousled her hair, Judy laughed for the first time in a day as the fading light of the setting sun lit up her heart, flooding her with pleasant memories of the past, spent together with those she loved. With her adrenaline, the deafening sirens seemed like nothing more than the pesky buzzes of fleas in her huge ears-she just had to enjoy the moment. Ignoring the growing heat in her paw holding the wire, she bended her knees and touched-down onto the muddy grass, spraying up a layer of gunk onto her freshly-made uniform.

But it was exhilarating. She liked it, and she was going to keep it that way if it was the last thing she did. It might be the last thing she would ever enjoy.

Chris sighed in relief as the grey fuzzy blob pranced around in triumph, throwing off her gas mask and breathing in her first gulp of fresh air. To be perfectly honest, he also had doubts about the whole plan he had come up with in an emergency-he might survive the fall, but what about Judy? What about Nick? He wasn't sure if he was even 4 feet tall. And with them gone who was going to take care of him in this totally alien world?

A comical cough next to him startled him from his deep thoughts. He had forgotten about the fox. As always.

He looked down to see a miffed Nick staring back at him, not amused at all. Feng tried to return an apologetical glance as best as he could, but without even needing a mirror he knew that it was as pathetic as hell.

"Doesn't seem as bad as it looks, does it?" the bunny hollered up at him, actually laughing genuinely, "Oh...don't be scared! I thought you promised to always protect me." she gently teased.

"I'm coming right down, Carrots!" he shouted back, preparing to lean out of the window, both his paws holding on for dear life. He was determined not to act like a coward in front of his best friend.

The door slammed open, and before the fox could even come to his conscious, he was dangling helplessly outside the window, tugging as tightly as he could at the wires which now determined his life and death. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek and dripped to the ground below, his paws gradually loosing their grip on the wire, leaving a trail of moist behind where they once lay.

A torrent of rubber bullets flew without warning in Chris's direction, and even with the cover of several bookshelves he couldn't help but shiver slightly as he heard the thumps crashing into the fragile wood. His instincts told him to act now-it wouldn't be long before he would be exposed. Years of actual combat off the mainland had taught him that. Motion was always the key.

Returning fire with his trusty QBZ-95, he rolled across to another desk, near-misses from the enemy tearing up wool and tiny sections of wood lying in front of him. Feng took aim and sprayed a short burst above their heads, warning shots that he hoped could wane them off and let them leave him in peace. For the sake of Judy, he wasn't ready to kill anybody….yet. Emptying the rest of his magazine at the mass clothed in black, he risked another peek at the entrance to the command centre. The rest of the troops were drawing back rapidly, unwilling to face such tremendous firepower of an unknown weapon. Several of their comrades lay wounded on the floor, struggling to find cover whilst clutching their bloody uniforms in great pain.

"The gas! The gas!" he heard someone yell in fear,"A never-ending yellow cloud billowed out of the ventilation shaft, those who were left in the stand-off frantically covering their mouths and noses with their hairy paws. Some fumbled with gas-masks of their own, but were already knocked out long before they were even able to put them on-the soldier even thought he saw an elephant roll over unconsciously, squashing several boars under its massive belly in the process. Chris knelt motionlessly in the chaos, trying to process what he was seeing. Thank God it was only a knockout gas….he couldn't even imagine the possible effects of the nerve gases he had once seen being destroyed back home.

Firing off his few remaining shots, he slung himself out of the room in one swift motion, kicking the windowsill to power himself as outwards as he could. Chris loosened his death grip only slightly, barely enough to allow his body to slide down for a couple of inches before his boots hit something soft and squishy. Expecting the worst, he cautiously looked down only to find Nick still dangling halfway down the wire, clenching his fists as he tried not to look down.

Seeing Chris' expression, he grimaced and knew it was probably best not to talk back.

"You took your sweet time." he grumbled when they finally reached the ground, glaring at Nick threateningly, "What were you even going to do if I hadn't made it out?"

"Well, _**excuse me**_." the fox took one step closer to the Chinese lieutenant, stretching himself to his full height, 'Not everyone is as strong and courageous as you are. Nor are most of they as _**fangless**_." his paws subconsciously curling up into fists.

"Guys...guys!" Judy clapped her paws and cried out loud for their attention, but both of them ignored her, each burning with deep rage inside their hearts.

"It's not pronounced like that, you little _**兔崽子**_ …" Chris was about to continue when the sharp crack of a rifle pierced his ears. Check that- **several** cracks. Pulling Nick into his chest he hurtled himself against a military jeep parked nearby, amongst dozens of identical others, the bullets thudding against the plated armour. Judy followed close behind, pulling herself right next to him.

"They're right there!" a burly cheetah wearing a gas mask hollered at his companions, "They're getting away! Stop them!" He pulled out his radio and started screaming orders.

To Judy's despair, more and more guards appeared out of nowhere behind the cheetah, each of them cradling their own rifles, gas masks covering their faces completely. There was no hope in relying on the gas anymore….Judy cursed herself for her naivety. As they lay concealed behind the vehicles, some of them fired warning shots provocatively at the parked jeeps, shattering many windshields. Chris shuddered as a giant hole appeared in one of the front tyres, flattening as a rubber bullet found its mark. What if it had been his head instead.

Judy silently pulled her tranquilizer from her waist belt, inserting a final clip of darts into the highly-powered device. He looked at her with a mixture of what seemed like utmost respect and bewilderment-what use was it against a massive horde of ideological-committed and fear-driven soldiers? There was a Chinese idiom he had in mind for this- _ **以卵擊石**_ _ **,**_ hurtling a rock against a stone. No, not **a** stone-at least **a hundred** of them. God, she sure had some guts.

Gasping desperately for air, the fox freed himself from the soldier's arms, only to duck below the jeep as he caught sight of what lay before them. Reaching for his holster, Nick swore in disappointment as he remembered he had thoroughly been disarmed only a few hours ago. Chris smirked as he saw the officer thrashing around, scanning his surroundings for anything he could possibly use as a weapon.

Another round struck the windows of the jeep, instantly smashing it into countless tiny shards, each as sharp as a decent blade. One of them streaked across Judy's face, but nevertheless she continued to stare as unmoving as a rock at the approaching horde, ignoring the drips of blood staining the mud beneath her an unnerving shade of dark red. Meanwhile the fox laid dejectedly on the floor, eyes shut as the volleys of rubber bullets collided against the armour, the pounding of his heart beating a rhythm along with their echoing "ping ping ping".

"Here take this." Chris handed over his sidearm to Nick, handle out, "Just pull the hammer if you need to shoot, alright?" He hoped his makeshift lesson made it successfully into his brain.

Nick nodded half-heartedly, but judging from Chris' face there was something he still wanted to say. "Come on, just spit it out." the officer urged, tapping his foot in impatience. He watched as the lieutenant gulped anxiously, before finally opening his lips to form a stuttering voice.

"Protect Judy well for me, okay?" he pushed a few more clips into his hands, "I may not make it….but if I don't, just take her and run like hell. Don't come back for me, do you understand? Just shoot your way out of there…..she doesn't deserve to go like this." Nick didn't know if he was hallucinating or not, but his eyes actually seemed watery in the sun's remaining glow.

He was still trying hard to come up with a reasonable reply when a dark green blur streaked like lightning in front of him, raising its arm to throw a cylindrical object away from him before somersaulting over to another neighbouring truck. Instinctively he raised his paws to his ears, awaiting the blast that he knew would soon arrive. In the brief moments before a blinding flash appeared beside him, he heard it scream, "Go! Take Judy and go!'

He didn't need a second reminder. Grabbing Judy by the arm he took flight, stuffing the spare clips Chris had given him into his pocket. One slipped out of his grip and fell with a heavy thud onto the grass, but without turning back the fox led the bunny away from the fighting, struggling to see straight in the beginning hours of twilight.

"No...wait," Judy tried to calm her partner to no avail. She could only watch as the Chinese soldier grew smaller and smaller, until he was nearly indistinguishable in the distance.

The soldiers screamed as they fell to the grass, rolling around helplessly with their paws shielding their eyes from the unimaginable glow. A minuscule fire had ignited the various dry twigs and bushes in the area, and slowly it began to spread until it reached some of the fallen insurgents. More of them were rushing to find cover, shouting orders that could never be heard-his flashbang had accomplished more than what he had envisioned. He watched in satisfaction as some of them tore off their masks, expecting to suck in a cool breath of winter air, only to be suffocated by the growing cloud of smoke. With how things were going, Chris didn't even have to throw away his smoke grenade he had been holding in reserve.

Roaring in anger, he took aim and sprayed a volley of bullets at the officers crouching at the back, unaffected by the flashbang. A couple of them doubled down, clutching their blood-stained uniforms. Chris had tried to aim for their legs, but in the chaos he could never be sure. In the distance he could pick up the silhouette of a towering tiger in a military uniform grasping a radio, hollering at his subordinates with his paws jabbing in his direction. A few soldiers were already returning fire from behind the burning jeeps, but Chris' deadly rifle-fire kept them pinned down where they were, unable to move.

Backpedaling, Feng emptied what he had left, the firepower of his modern rifle forcing the enemy to draw back until his trigger resounded with a frustrating 'click". Cursing as his fingers found the sidearm holster to be empty, he struggled to search for another clip when round after round ripped the rifle from his grip, flying onto the ground well out of his range. Another bullet streaked past his hand as he showed himself, leaving behind a sickly trace of blood that prickled his skin.

The lieutenant hit the ground and crawled towards his gun on all fours, plumes of dirt spraying up on all around him. A stray pellet hit him somewhere near his ankle and he cried out in pain, his filthy hand stretching back to comfort the wound. Behind him, the enemy was drawing near with every passing second, hollering orders into their makeshift radios.

"Keep the alien. I don't….care what you do with the other two.." his failing hearing faintly picked up. He'd very much prefer dying.

Another round slammed into his elbow, tearing off a section of fabric on his uniform. A short stream of blood flowed from his gaping mouth, his deathly pale lips stained a sickly red shade. The fingertips of his good hand came into contact with the icy cold barrel of his rifle, and his eyes lit up in a fury of new hope.

Just as he tried to close his grasp onto it, a rough boot licked the weapon away from him, then turning to deliver a brunt sledgehammer kick into his shoulder blade. Not enough to take his life, but most certainly enough to teach him a lesson. Chris yowled out in desperation.

Dark blobs danced before his eyes, the troops gradually moving in to surround him. Their fingers were curled around their triggers, fangs clenched and eagerly awaiting some well deserved payback.

The radio crackled again, "Sturmer….This is Tigerstone. Alien subdued, I repeat, alien subdued….Preparing to escort it back to laboratory, over." He very much preferred dying.

Chris's hand weakly reached for a bulge in his pocket, smirking as he felt it's round pineapple body, the stainless steel soothing against his grasp. Unbeknownst to the monsters in clothing he still had one last frag grenade concealed away in his pocket-it was going to be his _**guangrong dan**_ _ **光榮彈**_ _ **, just**_ like the days of old. The soldier swore to bring down a few more of them even if he himself was going to hell.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as the blinding beams of the torches beamed into his eyes, his finger trembling uncontrollably as it curled around the pin. He only had a few more seconds at most….it seemed so much like a waste….So much effort, all for nothing.

No, he corrected himself, not all was lost. If fate was merciful enough to allow Nick and Judy to evade capture, then….then...it was all worth it.

Mustering all his strength, he pulled the pin off. And as it buried itself into the soft dirt, he thought he heard an explosion, one louder than anything he had ever seen before.

0000000000000000000000000000000

 _ **5 minutes ago**_

"Nick...We can't just leave him like that!" Judy begged, panting breathlessly from the escape. The two had left the battlefield behind, reaching a dusty and neglected corner of the compound.

"Carrots….you do realize we don't have any choice left, don't you? His vigilant eyes scanned the area, searching for any means of transport. So far there had been nothing more than the occasional bush on the deserted moor, and even Judy had started to lose some of her optimism.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" She eyed the fox suspiciously, beckoning at his pistol, "You seem uncomfortably unfamiliar with it."

"Who are you to judge my almighty powers?" He grimaced at his own joke, fiddling with the hammer, "I've always been top of my class in…."

Nick didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence when the whirring mechanics of an approaching engine got their attention. Instinct kicking in, both of them instantly lay low with their ears taped the ground, not daring to make a single sound. A growing cloud of dust evolved from the path, and from the distance Judy could hear the driver trying to yell into his radio over the din of the engine.

"Yes….no trace of the intruders whatsoever, sir….Understood, sir." a feminine voice replied submissively.

"Do whatever you want with the two….Word must not leak out. Tigerstone. Over and out." With a final crack the radio died and returned to silence.

"Get ready. It's a motorcycle." Judy inserted a final dart into her tranquilizer, her eyes concentrating on the approaching grey dot on the neglected pathway.

"Are you crazy? You're out of your mind if you think you can stop that thing Carrots…." Despite his protests the fox got ready and steadied the pistol with two trembling paws. He knew her well enough that there was no way to stop the rabbit if she was determined enough.

"Listen…..When I yell fire your gun into the air, okay? Not at them, but into the air, you hear me? You can do this." She gave him a tiny reassuring smile before tightening her grip on the tranquilizer, squinting as she tried to make out the rapid-moving motorcycle. God, it was faster than a whirlwind…. would they even be able to hijack it?

"Steady...steady…" Judy murmured, her tone soothing to Nick's ears, the buzzing of the engine becoming louder every second " _ **FIRE! NOW! IT'S OUR ONLY CHANCE**_!"

Clenching his eyelids shut, the officer raised the QSZ-92 Chris had given him and fired off a round, the grip jerking back so strongly that he thought the whole weapon would fall out of his paws. For a few seconds, Nick thought that the word had come to a halt-the gunshot rang distractingly in his ears, unbelievably louder than what he had initially expected. It was the stinging sensation of the spent cartridge that revived him to his senses.

The motorcycle screeched to a halt, and that was exactly what Officer Hoppes has been waiting for all along.

The three mammals in the vehicle sprang to their feet, but before they could even free their weapons from their holsters they had slumped over onto the motorcycle unconsciously, their uniforms stained with the substance from the tranquilizer. Judy tucked the darts away in her waistbelt, hoisting away the mammals that now lay helplessly on the ground.

"Come on, give me a paw over here. I'm exhausted." with Nick's help, she left the insurgents where they were and jumped into the driver's seat, glancing to the sidecar attached to its right. It was just big enough for Chris "Hop in. We have a human to save."

0000000000000000000000000000000

The motorcycle with the ZERB markings roared straight into the battlefield, the streams of darts and bullets flying everywhere scattering the insurgents in a mad frenzy. Bamboozled with what was going on, the officers ordered reconnaissance urgently on their wireless sets, only to double over as the darts accurately found their targets.

"What the hell…." Chris glanced up, trying to figure out the frenzy that was going about him.

"Get on! Get on!" He heard a familiar voice holler at him, "Or it'll be the end of you!"

Remembering the live grenade buried in his pocket, he hastily flung it away from him just as it exploded midair, showering him with sparks and splattering the grit all over his body. Chris thought he felt something pierce into his arm, but in the chaos of things he chose to forget about it.

Groggily he forced his eyes open and fumbled around for his rifle, the screaming of the wounded negligence whispers in his hearing.

"Nick! Covering fire! We have to get him onto the vehicle!" Judy took cover behind the sidecar, the rubber bullets slamming into the steel with a distinct _**pop pop pop**_ that she had grown to recognize.

Nick grunted as he threw himself off the driver's seat and crawled his way to the soldier, supporting the bulk of his body with his shoulder. He fired off a few shots at the insurgents, and hurrying as quickly as he could back to the motorcycle the cop heaved the human into his seat, sweat running off his back.

"The rifle…" he heard him whisper weakly.

"No time for it now." Nick persuaded, "Get some rest…"

"The rifle….get the rifle." Chris insisted, his eyelids drooping tiredly. He might not even last long in this state.

Rolling his eyes, the fox obeyed and scampered off to the front wheel, searching intently for his semi-auto. The glint from the setting sun reflected off it's barrel and caught his eye, and without waiting he somersaulted across, curling himself up into a ball.

A bullet streaked across his tail, taking some fur with it. The blinding white light of pain overcame his mind, but he continued to clench against the rifle's grip, streams of blood flowing down his leg. Hoisting the rifle with both paws to support its weight, he squeezed the trigger and the rounds went wild, the gun recoiling painfully into his shoulder.

Something smashed into his back and he doubled over, his lips kissing the cold dirt that smeared all over his face. Another blow came in from above, but Nick was too nimble for the insurgent. The butt of her rifle cut through the soil, and as she struggled to pull it out in frustration Nick swept in below her, his kick ripping into her stomach with full force. Screeching at him, the cheetah threw her fist at him, only to be deflected as Nick's knuckles slammed into her jaw. The guard screamed as she heard the crack of the the bone, both paws flying up to relieve the pain.

Seeing his chance, the fox sprinted for the rifle when the cheetah lunged at him again, pinning him onto the ground. The fox tried to pound his fist uselessly against her ribs to no avail. She was much larger and stronger than he was, and Nick could barely move a muscle.

"You are going to pay for hurting me you little shit…" she murmured under her breath.

The guard pulled her dagger from her sheath, grinning malevolently from ear to ear. The battle was still going on around them, but she seemed much interested in him than anyone else. For the first time in his life, Nick felt true terror. The cheetah toyed harmlessly with his ear for a few moments….And even Nick began to relax when out of a sudden she sliced a section off, the silver blade dripping with his blood.

"Nick! Nick, we have to get going!" he caught Judy yelling his name.

Nick tried to open his mouth but nothing came out other than a single desperate croak. Another slice to his other ear convinced him to stop. Was there any limit to what the ZERB could inflict on their fellow mammals? By that moment, he was already seething with fury.

Before the cheetah could even react, the officer pulled his weapon from beneath him and fired it at point blank range into her side, his finger still tingling from pulling the trigger. Without waiting for her to react, Nick mustered all his strength and kicked her bulk off him, now no more than a hopeless heap of spots and fur.

"You little shit…." She cursed at him through broken gasps of air, paws still clenched at the bullet wound. At least he hadn't killed her.

Retrieving the rifle, Nick turned around to head back to the vehicle, only to be confronted by the towering silhouette of the wounded guard. So she wasn't finished yet-in fact, she seemed even more ballistic than ever. Fearing the worst, the fox pointed the barrel at her, teeth chattering subconsciously.

"Don't come any closer…..Trust me. You don't want to try the power of this thing." His tongue twisted as he spluttered.

Like hell she was going to need his warnings. With fangs bared and claws extended, the insurgent leapt into him, her eyes showing the insane bloodlust of revenge. She had left him with no choice.

Reluctantly, Nick clenched onto the trigger. His face deathly pale, he stood rigidly until the entire magazine had been emptied.

At such a close range, Nick regretted even glancing at what remained of the guard.

0000000000000000000000000000000

The firefight had subsided for the time being, the troops having retreated and awaiting orders. A few stragglers still fought where they stood, but none of them dared peep their heads out in fear of Chris's deadly rifle fire. Apart from a few pop-pops here and there, there was almost no firing at all.

Nick wasn't taking his chances. He was pulling out of there.

Heaving his body back onto the driver's seat, he tossed his hard-earned weapon to Chris, who by now was hardly conscious at all. Stretching his feet to touch the pedal, he revved the engine and pulled out of the moor, aiming straight for the entrance which they had come in from.

"Hold tight," he instructed the bunny sitting behind him, dimming the lights, "It's going to be a rough ride." it was going to take all of his driving skills to get them out of there.

But it was far too late. It didn't take a genius to figure out they had them surrounded.

"Over there! Get him, Sarge!" somebody yelled over a microphone. Instantly the whole night exploded into fireworks, rovers and jeeps appearing out of nowhere. Half a dozen trucks with ZERB markings drove over the horizon, the searchlights they carried blinking into life. Nick squinted as their powerful beams cast a blinding flash into his face, struggling to maintain control of his motorcycle.

"Carrots! The rifle! Aim for the wheels!" He turned his head over his shoulder at the rabbit.

"Keep your eyes on the road! Leave this to me." came the cool and confident reply.

In the sight of his rearview mirror, colorful lines of tracer from the rifle flew wildly across the moor, shattering the bulbs of the deadly searchlights. For a moment, Nick felt the welcome sensation of darkness return. A few insurgents scrambled to replace them, the trucks that carried them grinding to a halt. More and more lights blinked out as the bunny cop fired with impeccable aim, feeding in clip after clip as she attempted to keep up with the rate of fire. Good. Soon they'd be in total darkness.

"Watch out!" Nick swore as he swerved to avoid a boulder that appeared out of nowhere. The place was littered of them.

The Jeep behind them was not as lucky. Without the searchlights of the trucks to guide them, the driver was soon rendered blind in the unbelievable darkness. He tried to slam on his brakes, but in his panic lost control of the steering wheel. A deafening crash testified to their miserable end, detached engine parts slamming into the range rover right beside it, blowing the driver clean off with the impact.

Another truck blew it's tyres from the continuous stream of bullets, skidding along the road until it finally collapsed to a side, the searchlights smashing into a million different shards onto the concrete. Soon there were only a few more jeeps left in hot pursuit, kicking up a trail of black dust behind them.

"That's it! I'm out!" announced Judy, searching for replacements in Chris's bag. She was not having much success.

Accelerating, the fox gulped as he caught sight of a vehicle catching up on them. It was a heavily armoured jeep, complete with a weapons cupola. He wondered how much taxpayer's money those suckers had at their disposal.

"Helmut! Man the machine gun, dammit!" A plump boar climbed onto the cupola on top of the lead jeep, jamming a clip into the weapon in frustration, "it doesn't …"

He couldn't even finish his sentence when a dart silenced him, the windshield cracking as another round from the pistol found it's mark.

Nick looked away as it screeched and collided with a second jeep trying to overtake it, transforming into a jumble of inferno and wrecked steel. God, those driver's must have been inexperienced newbies.

"That's it! Lin, take us home!" Nick breathed a sigh of relief as the three or four vehicles fled into the night, leaving them alone for the first time. He had never expected this frenzy to end quite so easily.

The duo stayed silent for another fifteen minutes or so, as Nick expertly guided the motorcycle out of the labyrinth of a compound, past the chain along fence and finally back onto the dusty road that led back to the metropolis. It seemed so far away at the moment, almost like a distant fairy land that only children dared dream of. The unnerving silence was only disrupted from time to time by Chris's painful coughing, his raspy breaths suggesting that he required urgent medical care.

"So, where to?" Nick glanced worriedly at the human, whose uniform was caked with dry blood, "We can't exactly take him to a government hospital, can we? That'd be suicide."

"There's only one option left, I guess."

"You don't mean….oh my God carrots that…"

"Set course for Mr. Big's manor, Nick. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. He's the only one who could possibly accommodate us in this situation…"

Judy tugged at her makeshift bandage…. she had been wounded much more seriously than Nick knew, but the last thing she wanted to do now was to disturb her partner.

Beside her, Chris coughed up a stream of blood, his breathes raspy and weakening. He opened his eyes ever so slightly, and turned to Judy, moaning painfully as he hit his wound in accident.

"Thank….Thank you." he whispered at the bunny, his uniform torn into unrecognizable filthy rags.

"Hush, just rest," she replied, gently totaling his bloody hair, "You'll be safe soon."

Revving the engine, Nick Wilde sped along the highway at full speed, racing towards the silver moon that lay high above the sleeping city.


	15. Memories of a Shrew

**I'd like to thank several readers who pointed out mistakes in this chapter through PMs, and am glad to say that these have all been corrected to make this a better story overall, in terms of both grammar and plot. I also have an announcement for all of my readers. Due to my tests, I won't be able to update until at least two weeks later. However, I promise that more and more interesting content will be coming soon. Mysteries will be revealed, and new ones will emerge before long. I have also found a friend, who is also a good writer, to work together with me. Here's a tip to what's going to happen next: A whole new part of this story is going to be introduced in a few weeks, one that might change the course of history, I kid you not!**

 **Stay tuned!**

Chapter 15: Memories of a Shrew

It was well past nine thirty in the evening when the battered motorcycle finally pulled up into Mr. Big's courtyard, the two polar bears standing guard staring suspiciously at a burlap sack thrown hastily into the sidecar. They didn't look exactly welcoming to say the least, but that was all the help they had at the moment.

Judy hopped down and rested her head on the handlebars, strands of her grey fur stained with heavy beads of sweat. Everything that day had been so unexpected. It had taken over three hours to drive back into the suburbs, another more to reach Tundratown amidst all the traffic. After an entire day out in the wild, the humming of vehicles sounded almost alien to her.

Beside her, the fox was grunting in exhaustion as he struggled to drag the burlap sack towards the grand entrance, his paws treading streaks of mud onto the blood-red carpet much to the guard's annoyance. If anyone deserved to be fatigued, it was Nick. Despite Judy's offers, he had voluntarily driven the motorcycle by himself, covering virtually the equivalent of 150 miles. Once they had reached the city, there were even several close calls when he nearly swerved into potholes or lampposts on a highway, but Judy let that pass. The only time he took a brief rest was when they had to throw what remained of Chris's canteen onto the engine to prevent it from overheating, and by then his eyes already felt so heavy he swore he couldn't keep them open for a single second longer.

But still he persevered.

Chris still hadn't awaken yet, and through the meagre hole they had left at the top of the bag for him to breathe, Wilde could see he was obviously in a very bad shape. The human's breathing was weak and raspy, his constant coughing spilling more blood onto his wretched uniform. The several bandages that Judy had applied were stained with red, bruises and sores littering the entire length of his body. Glancing nervously around him to check the guards weren't looking, he hesitantly poked his snout into the opening and whispered, "Hey, it's gonna be alright….just hang in there, okay?"

He wasn't sure if he could hear him through the maelstrom he must be going through, but it was already the most he could muster.

"Mr. Big will meet you in five," stated the massive polar bear, slamming the office door without a single hint of emotion.

A warm gust of air greeted Nick as he trekked his way into the waiting room, the central heating giving him a hard-earned break from the chill he had been suffering all along. His partner followed tightly after him, her fur so ruffled that it partially covered her face.

"Ow!" Nick yelped in surprise, protectively clutching his tail, " How careless can you be, Carrots?"

"I'm so sorry!" replied Judy apologetically, "Does it still hurt?" She raced up front to keep up with his pace, running her paw soothingly along the "brush" that trailed after Nick. Upon closer inspection, it was matted with blood, the now-dulled red blending in with his original handsome, brown shade.

God knows what the ZERB had done to him when they had captured him, however briefly.

Nick gritted his teeth in pain over the slight limp, doing his best to suppress the pain and not startle Judy, "You know," he began casually, trying to divert his jumbled mind away from things, "I still feel a shiver go up my spine every time I enter this place."

"Don't be," said Judy, her encouraging smile returning to its rightful place once more, "You've made up already, remember?"

She turned to the burlap sack, constant wheezing emanating from it. Now that she thought of it, it was almost a miracle that the polar bears hadn't insisted upon checking their baggage before they entered. But this was Mr. Big's territory, and they could do literally what they pleased if they had called ahead.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!"

The bunny quickened her pace and whupped her paw impatiently outside the imposing teak door, waiting for Nick to catch up with the sack. All three of them needed nothing but some urgent medical backup.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally creaked open, allowing just a slight crack for them to enter. As it slid shut, the powerful lights outside faded away and they were left with a dim gleam from an old fashioned table lamp. The entire study, almost as large as Judy's apartment, was covered in a mystical gloom as impenetrable as a fog. Nick was still trying to adjust his sight to the surroundings when a small, dignified voice interrupted him out of nowhere, "I've been expecting you two."

Their heads spun towards where the sound had come from, and the face an ancient shrew greeted them, a tiny grin stretched across his face, "As soon as you called I knew you had gotten yourselves into quite a bit of a mess." He raised a tiny paw and beckoned at them to closer, "Let me see you….I have an entire medical team on the standby as you suggested on the wireless."

"It's like this…" Judy spluttered as she tried to explain, but their old friend again beat them to it.

"Yes, you two are tired and bewildered, perhaps even mildly wounded. But why a surgery? I don't understand at all." He cocked his head, trying to make a sense out of their bruises.

"I'll explain it in good time, sir," Nick offered politely, his attitude surprisingly submissive, "But first, would it be appropriate if we conversed...In private?"

The two guards flanking their boss glared down at them, their humongous paws clenching together to form fists the size of cannonballs. Nick gulped in apprehensiveness, and only dared imagine what effect it could inflict upon his skull. For a moment, the tension grew and sizzled in the room.

"Leave them be, Koslov," instructed Mr. Big, "I trust them with my life now. Go, and get yourself a drink if you're feeling fatigued."

"So, what is it?" He addressed the two officers, "What is so urgent as to demand the medical services I have at paw? It can't be you two, I suppose. Those wounds of yours can easily be remedied at a primitive government institution! Why bother with mine?"

His eyes fell on the burlap sack lying unattractively at a corner. It might just have been the light, but Judy swore she could see a hint of red staining the rough cloth. Then all of a sudden, another burst of intense coughing sent them into high alert, and almost instantly, Mr. Big broke into laughter.

Judy and Nick exchanged nervous glances, not knowing where this could possibly lead to.

"Oh, I see! So you've brought a friend, my dear Judy. It all makes sense now. The only remaining question is-he may be a friend of yours, but is he a friend of mine?"

"Sir, I don't expect you, or anyone else for that matter, to have met him or his kind ever before. But…"

Mr. Big held up his paws, and Judy instinctively stopped talking, "There's only one reason why you cannot take him to a government or ZPD medical facility, isn't it? Quite obvious, to be frank. The friend you're trying to deliver so urgently here, as I see, can't be anything other than a transgressor of the law who you're attempting to hide and obtain first-hand information from. Am I correct?" He gazed expectantly at the bunny, then at the fox.

When the both of them remained silent, he had no choice to continue with a heavy sigh, "You know the rules perfectly, my dear. From the way you're acting, this doesn't seem to be any colleague of mine. The medical services my organisation provides are exclusively for my compatriots, I'm afraid. I have no choice, and not even for you am I willing to break this rule of thumb. I'm truly sorry, Judy."

"No, you're wrong." The bunny cop spoke with such defiance that it even startled Mr. Big, "He's not one of us….He's not from this city, or from this world, as a matter of fact. He's not a mammal that we've previously known before."

Mr. Big hesitated for a few moments before answering, "Show me." He gestured at the sack.

Summing all that remained of their strength, Nick and Judy dragged the sack out from beneath the human, exposing his crumpled body onto the extricate wooly rug that covered the entirety of the study. Blood stickily matted his skin, the originally tanned shade stained with a sickly red shade. From beneath the layer of bandages, drop after drop oozed out slowly and dripped upon the carpet.

As Judy hurried over to tend to the wounds, Nick could notice the expression on Mr. Big's face slowly start to unravel. He had seemed quite indifferent as first, then as though he had remembered something, Nick thought he could see the ghost of something what resembled fear and panic reveal itself in his usually blank eyes. Yet he still remained composed, staring motionlessly at the commotion taking place in front of him.

"Sir, we have to take action, now!" Hopps snuck a peek at the shrew, "I don't think he can hold on for much longer!"

At her side, the fox expected the worst to come, but to his surprise, Mr. Big rose shakily to his paws. Producing a tiny device, he punched in a few commands and mumbled a few lines that the two of them had absolutely no clue of. Finally, he turned to face them, his eyes growing larger by the moment.

"Rest assured. Help will arrive soon for you and your friend. You will not have long to wait."

"But his identity!" cried Judy, "He cannot…"

"Dr. Zebren is a trusted associate of mine. Not a single word has he leaked out ever since we met nearly six decades ago. If you wish, I can inform him that your friend is merely an anomaly rare species from the very edge of the fringe. Would that be fine by you, my dear?"

"Of course. Thank you, thank you so much!" Judy bowed in gratitude. For some reason he not yet understood, Nick found himself bowing along as well.

"But why are you doing this for us... for him, I mean?" The sentence jumped out of his mouth before he had a chance to control it.

Silently, the bunny pinched his arm, almost causing him to help out in pain.

Mr. Big did not answer his question directly, "You two do not seem to be in a fine condition at all. I promise a hot bath and some new clothes are in order. Remember to take a good rest in the meanwhile, for we have a lot to converse about. Meet me thirty minutes past midnight. My servants will cater to you in the hallway. "

As they turned their backs to leave, Judy couldn't resist but take a last glimpse at Chris. He looked so frail, so weak. His face was as pale as a ghost's.

"He's in good paws, Judy, good paws." reassured Mr. Big calmingly. That was the last thing she heard before the door finally slid shut and the blinding light of the chandeliers greeted her once more.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **3 Hours Later**

Nick sighed in delight as he made his way down the hallway in a brand new fuzzy bathrobe, holding a soothing mug of herbal tea in his paw. The service here at Mr. Big's was certainly more than luxurious: The fox wasn't sure if he had experienced anything as extravagant in his whole damned life. First had come the steaming bath, quite literally a swimming pool built out of marble, filled to the brim with the sweetest herbs he could ever imagine.

Then he had eaten for the first time in days. Even though the food itself could possibly just have been bought at a round-the-corner marketplace, the fox couldn't help but marvel at how exquisitely it was prepared-the finely cut selection of cheeses, the delicately sliced pieces of crispy bread, the extraordinary palette of fresh fruit…..All of these made the ordeal he had suffered less horrifying in comparison.

He had awaken himself promptly half an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin, having dozed off in front of a cozy fireplace next to a teak porch with a view of the entire town. Though he was naturally feeling slightly woozy, his curiosity still kept him awake in anticipation of what Mr. Big had to announce to them.

Strolling into the lobby where they had first arrived hours ago, Wilde sighted Judy sitting by herself on one of the huge sofas that littered the place, sipping a mouthful of what seemed like hot chocolate. Seeing no one else around, he took a seat beside her and placed a comforting arm on the Bunny's shoulder.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Judy finally broke the ice, "I guess the worst is over, dumb fox! The doctors are making progress. I saw them from the surgical window just now. What about you?" She punched him playfully in the arm.

"Eh, I guess. They just threw a bandage over my eye and sent me here. How horrible of them." He joked, pointing at the white patch that now covered his left eye, "It's probably going to stay here for a week at least. Grrr….I'm a pirate!"

That last sentence sent Judy sprawling onto the floor, laughing her head off. Embarrassed by her reaction, Nick shifted his paws and covered his face with the cover of the mug.

"Come on, do that again!" she squealed.

"No." He said, sipping another mouthful of tea. It wasn't like anything he had tried before: mostly sweet, with just a tinge of spiciness.

"Well," she regained her balance, the tone of her voice suddenly serious, "I guess there's a long road ahead of us."

"You say," snorted Nick, "We've gotten ourselves into another sizzling pile of turd. Why is it that you love jumping in them, sly bunny? First the Night howlers, and now…."

"With all seriousness, Nick, how are we going to deal with Chief Bogo? That mammal has got it in for us, I swear."

"Heh. Ol' Buffalo Butt is the least on my priorities list right now. Give me a break, Carrots." He flashed a smirk at the bunny.

"I just turned on my phone, and there were no less than eighty one missed calls from the Chief himself. Seems like someone got themselves into hot water this time."

"Yeah, sure, pile the blame on me." The fox folded his arms defensively.

"It was your idea in the beginning, and don't…"

But Nick interrupted her, "AND that led us to finding the hooman, remember? Jeez, I can't imagine you bunnies have got such a short spanned memory."

"Fine...Fine...I'm sorry, okay?" Judy facepalmed, the wrinkles creasing her forehead, "But how are we going to sort out this mess? We can't leave Chris behind, can we?"

When Wilde remained silent, the bunny crossed her hips and leapt off the couch, facing him, "He saved my life. He saved **yours**. Are you **kidding** me, Nick?"

His mind flashed back to the hellhole of a compound, of how Chris had carried him on a shoulder, of how the human had covered him with rifle fire when they had escaped to safety. Judy was right. He had done too much for them. The human was a part of them now

" **Nicholas!** Are you listening?" She demanded, literally shaking his collar.

He nodded hesitantly, "Yes... yes, I agree with you. But...what are we going to do? We can't exactly drag him all around Zootopia and you know that!" Nick paced around the lobby, fists clenched.

"My apartment's always big enough for all of us…" Judy threw out the suggestion casually, "Plus we…"

The fox sighed in exasperation, "Okay. Lemme get this straight. ZERB is a powerful government organisation that has connections all around the city. God knows what they are capable of." He pointed starkly at his bruises, now covered in bandages. Despite the painkillers they had administered him, he still felt more than tinge every time he walked. "You saw what they could do just to make us shut up. I'm a fox, you're a bunny. How hard is it to identify us and hunt us down? You say, Judy?"

For once, Hopps was lost for words.

"With the technology they have on their paws and their mammal power, they is no way we can slip through their net." He slumped down in defeat. "Who can we trust? As far as I know, the whole government may be on their side."

"Hopps, Wilde! It's time!" A polar peeked it's head out from inside the study and announced. Dejectedly, the fox pulled his partner by the arm and entered the darkness again, wondering what the shrew could bring to make his life less miserable.

Once the last guard had left them in private, Mr. Big opened up, "I see that you are in a better state now, are you not?"

Stifling a snort was the hardest thing Nick had done in his entire life.

"Good," he continued, "I know it has been a terribly long day for you both, but would you mind informing me about the whole incident from the beginning to the end? I certainly hope you're willing."

Nick untrustingly glanced first at Mr. Big, then shifted to Judy, his worriedness betrayed in his eyes. Sensing his discomfort, she clutched his paw reassuringly, and whispered softly, "It's fine. He's our last hope, Nick, and you know that."

Thus the words flowed out of her mouth like water, smooth and never ceasing. Throughout her description, Mr. Big occasionally nodded in agreement, and despite muttering unintelligible comments under his breath, remained pretty much silent without interruption. Nor did he expose any inner emotion he felt towards the event, which both shocked and worried Nick. He seemed so apathetic to what they had gone through.

"Is that all?" He questioned as Judy finished up her briefing, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes, sir. I fully believe that the ZERB is willing to take whatever actions necessary to hunt us down, considering that we're the only mammals with the knowledge of what they're up to. Not to mention our possession of the human." Judy concluded confidently.

"You know what?" Nick held his breath as Mr. Big started to reply, "You two are not the only ones to have known."

The two shared glances once more. "What do you mean?" They asked in unison.

"I should have known all along…" he gasped, "I was one of them."

The officers remained silent in shock, not sure what would qualify as an appropriate reaction.

"What I'm about to tell you is known to no one but I on this Earth, save the ones who have long since returned to dust. You two will become the first mammals to hear of this in more than three decades."

"You may find this hard to believe, but more than sixty years ago….I was an aspiring young engineer. One of the best, too, if you would excuse me. As you would imagine, a multitude of institutions were willing to recruit me to serve them, but among their midst I found no interest. Then out of the blue, I was contacted by the government with no previous warning whatsoever. And not just any simple government organisation, either."

"The ZERB?", Hopps ventured.

"Correct. It wasn't veiled in as much secrecy as how you described it back then, considering that it was merely in the stages of funding. Sure, not many mammals knew about it, but it wasn't exactly taboo either. As the name suggested, it stood for a new endeavour into unknown realms of science, and were scrambling for young and promising scientists like myself to participate. They offered a handsome sum of money, of all things. Being the hothead I was a lifetime ago, I did the unbelievable-I joined the ZERB as one of its founding members."

"At first it's intentions seemed harmless enough, merely groundbreaking attempts in harvesting a new source of energy. It was I who oversaw the building of the original compound, the development of all those powerful mechanisms. Things began to slide down the slope soon enough. Accident after accident struck us, more and more mammals lost their lives in what seemed like a hopeless venture. I was starting to have second thoughts about the whole career-sure, the money was sufficient, but after no breakthrough in over a decade, I guessed that enough was enough."

"The last straw came when the explosion ripped through our premises like a tornado, ending pretty much everything that I had slaved for in the past. I packed it all in and prepared to leave, but that was when events took an unexpected turn: don't ask me how, but the amount of energy leaked during the explosion was so powerful….It...It actually punched a hole in the space-time continuum."

"You mean, a portal to another world?" Nick tried to make a sense out of his words.

Mr. Big nodded. "Dr. Sturmer did his job well. None of the government officials heard a whisper about this. Mind you, we only had a handful of experts after the leak, and I was one of them. I was determined to leave, but….My grandmother, whom you knew so well, Nick, contracted terminal cancer and it took surgery after surgery just to keep her alive. I understood there was no other place I could earn so much, and thus, I had no choice but to stay."

"But why, what was his purpose? Why the portal?"

"I was just getting to that. Sturmer was a crazed mammal: his ultimate goal was to access the portal, which he deftly believed led to another world. A year after the explosion, a meeting between all the surviving members was called to order. To make a long story short, we held a vote and the order to manipulate the portal went through. I was one of the few who voted against the motion. The way I saw it, there was nothing good that could come out of exploring the portal. We were straying too far from our original goals….This had nothing to do with energy research! The risks involved were far too much. We were the Zootopia Energy Research Bureau, for God's sake!"

"I had other reservations as well. What if the inhabitants of the other world were hostile? What if they spread some epidemic that we had no defence against? There was far too much we had no idea of. I suggested shutting the whole project down, but no one heeded my pleas. Under the guise of an energy extraction scheme, Sturmer commenced Operation Gotterdammerung, committing enough power to serve Zootopia for two decades just to maintaining the portal. The way he saw it, it was his road to fame, his road to seizing power. He was a wicked mammal, and almost everyone knew that. With the power he might obtain from the portal, Sturmer had reasoned to himself, he could hold the **entire government hostage.** To my horror, most of those who remained chose to follow him, longing for the riches he promised them."

"That was when we came to a parting of the ways. We had never been close, but after I denounced his ways during a meeting, he got it in for me. Sturmer slowly deprived me of my salary, my duties. Near the end, I held an almost symbolic post, a warning to all those who dared disobey him. Then I had outlived my usefulness, he tried to have me killed. I escaped with my life just by a slimmer of good luck, and to this day I still bear the scars he inflicted upon me. There was no place for me to go except for Tundratown, where I had extended family. I knew perfectly Sturmer would hunt me down if I again showed my head in public, and...I was forced to go under, down to the criminal underworld where I am now."

"But that wasn't the end of the story. Over the decades, I have counted no less than twenty attempts on my life. Over half of them were confirmed to be from the ZERB. No matter what I do to forget this part of my history, it will never cease to haunt me till the day I pass. It's influence on this city is far too heavy to be neglected."

"Influence? I'd never heard of the ZERB up till yesterday," Judy commented naively.

"They are everywhere. Government, ZPD, National Service...Their agents exert enough pressure on the government that they see to it the ZERB will forever be left alone."

"Remember the phone call we received from Bogo this morning?" Nick said, his mind spinning wildly, "He must have known something."

"But...But he's the Chief!" Judy argued.

"One thing's for sure-we cannot trust him anymore. Nor can we trust the ZPD! Mr. Big just confirmed my suspicions, Carrots. A lot more mammals are in this than we've ever imagined"

"I do not mean to scare you, but this is reality and we need to face it." Mr. Big sighed heavily and gazed trustingly at the bunny, "Let's be honest here….How long do you think the ZERB will take to track you down? You have the human on your paws. Do you really think you can keep that a secret for long?"

"Exactly," Nick found himself agreeing with the crime boss, "And it's not as if we're ordinary citizens either. We're the Wilde-Hopps Team, Carrots, the "'shining' example of harmony that gets glossed on Furbook every single day! Say what, I'll bet that their mammals are lying outside out homes at this very moment!"

"There's no way we can get away." Judy echoed, realizing the depth of what they had just mentioned, "Is there any way you can help?" She pleaded with Mr. Big.

He hesitated, "You didn't exactly make yourself hidden on your way here, did you? Congratulations, you're all over the JamCams here in Tundratown!"

The bunny covered her mouth in shock. She could barely believe her carelessness.

"I...I don't think I have access to them anymore, especially not if Nick says we can't trust our superiors any longer." She stammered

"But I do. My sources followed you on camera all the time as you spend on the highways. Now is not the time for questions. I have my ways, and I'll see to it that every single one of those camera records will be wiped from the system."

"But...What if the ZPD needs to…" Judy felt her responsibilities filter back in.

"Look, I know you value your career importantly, and so do I." The fox crossed his hips and bent down to her eye level, "But if we are gonna save our skins, we are gonna have to make sacrifices. Got that?"

"For reasons now obvious to you, it is no longer safe to return to your residences. Nor are my premises for that matter, I'm afraid. Having officers staying overnight would really annoy some of my colleagues, I must say. A few hours is the most I can accommodate you."

"Great! Now we're all dead." Wilde threw up his paws in exhaustion, "Me, you, and the human. Might just as well turn ourselves in right now."

Judy weighed her options in her mind. She didn't dare stay at Bunnyburrow, for fear of bringing tragedy to her huge family in any way. Her parents were sure to assist her every way they could, but against a trained army of ruthless mammals, what defence could they even pose? Gradually, even Judy's heart ran desperate.

"There is, however, a possible alternative." The shrew cleared his throat, "As you know, over the decades as a leader of 'underworld' activities here in Tundratown, I have parlayed for myself considerable wealth and a multitude of enterprises. Some of the largest corporations and hotels in this city are, in fact, co-owned by myself, albeit under multiple false names. Say, are you familiar with the Furrelton Hotel located just off Avenue Seven over at downtown?"

Nick vaguely remembered a towering skyscraper gleaming in the sunlight, the kind of place so luxurious and far-away where he had only daydreamed of visiting ever since he was a kit.

"That, to be frank, is co-owned by my niece. I am confident that he will be more than willing to take you in. My guards will escort you along the way to keep you safe, and rest assured, every wish and need shall be granted just as long you ask for it. Maximum privacy is guaranteed around the clock. When the surgery is finished, I will personally make arrangements for him to sent over, my best medical team on the standby."

"But why are you doing this? Not only for us, but for the human as well?" Wilde couldn't help but feel perplexed? Wasn't he the cold-blooded, ruthless gangster he had once known?

"Listen. You two are the only mammals that have made it alive of ZERB in more than three decades to date. You may not understand right now, but the information you potentially hold is invaluable to me, and I am going to keep you safe and alive at all costs for that. For your friend too. The portal could be a weapon of mass destruction…..As well as salvation. That was what Sturmer told me so many years ago. It depends merely on what lies on the other side, and so far the human may be the only connection to that. Despite my best efforts, my spies have not yet offered me anything useful."

"You have insiders at ZERB?" the officers could barely believe their ears.

"Security guards, three of them. So far,no good. None of those three have made it up the ranks in three decades. But do remember to contact me if you suddenly recall anything useful, and I'll try my best to confirm it. No guarantees, though. My guards have access to practically nothing at ZERB." he waved his paw dismissively.

"Now get some sleep, real sleep. I'll wake you up when the work on the human is complete. Then we'll get down to business."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **6 hours later**

Light was breaking over the horizon, it's first rays reflecting against the gigantic mirrors plating the Furrelton complex. As he rubbed his heavy eyes, even Nick could see how more majestic it looked towering amidst the sunlight. Next to her, the bunny writhed in her sleep as the truck sped along the motorway deprived of other vehicles. It was still early after all.

Making his way to the backseat, he noticed Judy muttering something under her breath, evidently going through a nightmare resembling the day past. The wooly blanket the guards had given her was long since discarded on the carpeted floor, her legs never ceasing to toss around as she rested. Sighing gently, he picked it back up and threw it over her torso, smoothing over the creases on her mended uniform. He certainly hoped she felt alright, as he himself couldn't really sleep either. It had been a long and restless night.

Her breathing grew quiet as he watched over her, and she snuggled under the blanket, her legs ceasing to toss around with every bump the truck made. Nick looked on in silence, until Judy's lips bent slightly until it formed a tiny smile, her eyes still firmly shut in serenity.

"We're almost there," he whispered next to her ear flaps, the fur tickling his snout, "We're almost there. Don't you dare leave me now, sly bunny!"

" _I won't,"_ she thought, but no words formed out as she slept on.

Outside, a cool breeze streaked past as the sleek black van swerved and went up the final leg of the road, the colossal lobby of the Furrelton, a massive block of marble and glass, appearing out of the fog in the distance. It was like nothing Nick had ever seen before. Far above their heads, an orange sun rose serenely over the horizon, it's peaceful glimmer waking the inhabitants of Zootopia.

A new day had begun once more.


	16. A Report

**Hey guys, I'm back with a totally new chapter! The action is about to start, but first we need to lay the groundwork for another whole new element of the story, one that might just change everything. This idea was given to me by my good friend in real life, who is also kindly helping me to edit my story, so I wish to express my sincerest thanks to him here. I hope you all enjoy the feel of it, and if you have any suggestions or feedback, just feel free to PM me. Read and enjoy!**

 **Authors Guide to Chapter: Since some of you may not understand the historical background of this chapter, allow me to introduce it a bit more. Mainland China in the 1960s was an isolated and developing nation, also an enemy of the United States due to conflicting ideologies and previous wars. However, the end of the decade (when this chapter is located) saw the Sino-Soviet split, resulting in China and the Soviet Union cutting off friendly relationships (中苏交恶** **) and even minor skirmishes in 1969. This Chapter takes place a few years earlier, when an invasion of the Soviet Union was never more imminent. The Chinese military had no means to take on the Soviet war machine, especially not with a few rudimentary atomic bombs, so maybe, just maybe, chemical weapons might be the answer...Read on to know more.**

 **Chapter 16: A Report**

Date: 7th February, 1967

Location: Classified PLA research facility, Tongguan County (潼关县), Shaanxi Province (陝西省), the People's Republic of China

Time: 12:35 am

Regimental Commander Song Wujiang slumped dejectedly onto his battered office table, instinctively burying his head under a pair of coarse hands, long since worn with age. Although it was already well past midnight, the never-ending commotion outside his quarters continued to quirk him persistently. Fleets of _Jiefang_ lorries were delivering truckload after truckloads of supplies to the compound, and even in the gloom of night the steady stream of bumper lights cast a blinding glare through the bare windows of his room.

Wujiang knew it wouldn't be long before the big shots from the top would be arriving in their pompous _Hongqi_ limousines, demanding more and more reports from him and his men. Why couldn't they just allow him more time, just a bit more to deal with their newest discovery? Just a few dozen metres from him, Song knew perfectly that his subordinates were already trying their best to get their jobs done, pulling up roadblocks and clearing final security checks with the _Renmin Gongshe_ (communes) nearby.

Tightening his Type 65 military cap, the Commander knew that it was now time to complete his, no matter how reluctant he was to.

He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and pondered upon how he ought to begin with his report. No one could be more careful these days, especially with the Cultural Revolution in full swing-one moment you were in, and before you knew it, in the next you might be gone. Almost painstakingly, he dipped his brush in ink and carefully carved a stroke on the parchment, the characters slowly forming one after the other in elegance.

"To my dear comrades in the Military Commission," he started, choosing his words with the greatest care, "I offer you all my humblest greetings. As the Regimental Commander of the _teqiandui (_ Special Task Force) commissioned by the Institute of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army, I am greatly honored to share with you the details concerning our newest discovery in the field of chemical warfare."

That was only the easiest part. What would come next was difficult, to say the least, to adequately explain. Already exhausted, Song wiped at his brow and continued.

"A mere week ago, we received urgent reports from a neighbouring commune concerning possible counter-revolutionary attempts at sabotaging its agricultural and rearing endeavors. Apparently, quite an amount of vegetables, in addition to most of their poultry, had gone missing over the course of one month. Distraught, the local cadre in charge had requested our military presence in the area to protect the commune from any further attacks."

"And to reaffirm the authority of the Communist Party of China." He added dutifully with a quick stroke of his brush.

"This was soon proven to not quite be the case. After several failed attempts to apprehend the suspected perpetrator, our forces successfully tracked them down and before long had them grasped in our hands. A thorough search of their belongings was promptly carried out, and to our surprise a species of unknown flower was discovered under their ownership, one that even our botanical experts failed to identify. All we understand is that they have around six purple petals, along with several yellow pistols. A sample has been enclosed in this document for your reference."

"However, that was not the end of the story. Upon closer examination of its properties, the unidentified plant was found to possess capabilities to that of Serum BR-26X, one of our domestically developed serums with the help of Soviet consultants. If used correctly in an injection, potential effects of its toxins include the hyperstimulation of the cerebellum, causing any human to lose any sense of higher reasoning functions. Despite our best efforts, it should be noted that these effects are in theory only."

"This is where the unidentified plant comes into play. Early analyses have concluded that the potential it welds is almost ten times stronger of that of our existing chemicals, and if condensed into a serum, can unleash much more devastating effects on the human brain, even possibly hijacking it to the point of no return. Just wonder if we could genetically modify it into something even stronger! The possibilities are truly limitless, comrades. Our professionals are already contemplating upon the reality of its conversion into an infectious gas, which if released on a mass scale, can technically render an entire enemy army powerless through taking control of the its psychology."

"It's a reality we have to face. War with the Soviet Union has never seemed so imminent, and with our engineers still vainly slaving on the hydrogen bomb, a chemical weapon may truly be the last resort. Just as the Chairman once taught us, revolution is not a tea party, and nor does political power grow on trees. It grows out of a gun barrel, and we must be prepared to defend the independence of a country to the very last man. A chemical weapon capable of mass destruction remains as our only choice against the Soviet war machine."

"The prisoner we captured is a totally different matter. I beg for you to forgive my ignorance, but just as how little we grasped about the identity of the recently obtained plants, our perpetrator's true identify continues to remain baffling to all of us. He (having concluded an inspection of his genitals) is unable to comprehend our language, nor does he speak any of the local dialects. What I propose here may sound absurd, but I plead for your patience. It appears to us that our prisoner may not be a member of this world at all, for he, I'm afraid, is not even a human being."

"His physical appearance resembles that of a brown fox, albeit slightly larger, standing at around four feet or so. The fox has shown signs of human sentience, and upon capture was able to walk on its hind legs with no difficulty. Captured along with him was an outfit comprising of cowboy jeans and a hooded jacket, not unsimilar to those made in the United States. It is still under our scrutiny as to whether he holds any connection to the Western powers, possibly undertaking covert reconnaissance missions for them."

"For the moment, we have put him under sedatives while we conducted investigations on this anomaly. The fox is under our total protection from this moment on, and a swift interrogation will be conducted once he returns to conscious."

A rapid knocking emanated from the door. A fraction of a moment later, a tiny slot opened and a young private revealed himself, his Type 56 rifle slung casually over his shoulder.

"Sir, the prisoner has just awakened, awaiting interrogation." He snapped a smart salute at his commanding officer.

Instantly, Song holstered his pistol and turned to face his subordinate.

"Well, it's just about time." he commented as he returned the salute, "Send for my English translators. We need everything we got for this one."


	17. Connecting the Dots

**Chapter 17: Connecting the Dots**

Death. Suffering. Torment.

Chris's eyes widened in horror, still reeling from what he had been processing in his mind all along. Anthropomorphic animals, an alien dimension, the breakout….lying in bed, Feng could barely believe all that he had gone through in the previous 24 hours. Subconsciously, even he himself questioned his own sanity. Now that he thought of it, it was exactly as if he had taken a huge leap off a cliff, falling face first into a freezing ocean of madness.

It was a completely different world he had to face.

At least he now felt more refreshed than he ever had been in his whole life. Most importantly, he was awake, he was alive. All the rest could come later.

Feng sat up slowly from the bed and surveyed his surroundings, holding up his hands to shield himself from the blinding glare coming from outdoors. As his eyes adjusted to the new brightness, he suddenly caught sight of something magnificent shimmering in front of him outside the windows. His interest now aroused, Chris leaned towards slightly, trying vainly to take a better look at the city laid before him.

It was only now that the lieutenant realized how immobile he had become. Feng remembered practically nothing after the escape from the compound and the ensuing firefight, only that he had been rendered unconscious in the process. Gazing above, his right leg was dangling from the ceiling, covered wholly with a top-notch cast. To his left, a saline drip was inserted firmly into his forearm, sending something ticklish throughout his body.

Someone must have patched him up pretty well.

"Morning, sleepyhead." A familiar voice announced itself, "You woke up too late for breakfast, but you're just in time for lunch."

Smiling wryly, the brown fox emerged from the midst and switched on the chandeliers, before plumping himself onto one of the extravagant sofas littered all over the place. After an hour-long nagging by Judy， he was prepared to give one last shot at rebuilding a good relationship with the soldier.

Glancing around, Chris found himself in one of the most luxurious chambers he had ever set foot in, let alone reside-the bedroom alone was roughly the size of his office in the compound, and that was already nothing to sneeze at. The floor seemed to be covered in some sort of velvety carpet, one that literally sent tickles up his spine at the bare through of treading on it.

"Hey...Hey, are you listening to me?" Nick was up in a flash and waved his paw at the human, "Is it just you, or do all humans like to be so...rested?"

"Where am I?" Feng muttered, far too puzzled at his surroundings to heed the fox officer. He craned his neck to see what lay outside the double-glazed windows.

"Lunch is served!" A pleasing aroma wafted into the room as the bunny made her way to the hospital for, "Eat hearty! You're gonna need most of your energy back in the next few weeks."

Peeking expectantly into the steaming bowl, Chris discovered a generous helping of stew and to top if off, a few morsels of salmon. It wasn't much, but to Feng, the bowl was nothing but a tiny feast. Ravenous, he grabbed a spoon and began to gulp the meal down like a wolf.

"Is it alright for your diet?" Judy questioned out loud, hopping onto a nearby stool to take a better look, "I have absolutely no idea what humans usually have, so I just stuck to the doctor's orders and made sure you got plenty of Vitamin D."

"He looks fine, all right." chuckled Nick, joking at how the soldier was quite literally shoving the food down his throat, "Hey, hold your horses, Fang! You'll burn yourself!"

Chris rolled his eyes, "It's not pronounced that way, Nick. It's FENG, not FANG!" But he still wore a casual smile on his lips, a few mushed bits of stew still latched onto the corner of his mouth.

"Say, Lieutenant Feng," interrupted Hopps, "What does your kind normally, you know, consume on a daily basis? Are you predator or prey? Nothing personal at all, but I'm just curious."

"Please, just call me Chris." He set down his spoon, belching out of the blue for a meal well done, "Sorry. As for your question, we humans are neither. We are...what do you call them in English? Ah yes, omnivores."

"Omnivores?" Wilde raised an eyebrow curiously at the lieutenant, "My bet was on you being a fellow predator, with them "fangs" and all."

"Oh, no. Humans eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and not to mention meat and fish for protein. Dishes served around the world differ according to the local culture and climate, though. For example, in Southern China we have rice as our staple diet." Chris struggled hard to come up with an explanation. He was never quite the culinary expert.

Beside him, Judy had already pulled out what resembled a portable computer and started typing frantically, her violet eyes deftly concentrated on what lay on the screen. A few feet away, the fox could sense Feng tensing up, more than a few beads of sweat starting to run down his brow. No one knew better about this than Nick-an interrogation was never fun.

"Okay, Chris." She looked up from her screen, addressing him directly, "I need you to help me with something. What we're trying to do here is to record some of your key information, not only about you but about your species as well. Think you're up for the job?"

"Let's just say we need to know more about your kind to protect you." winked Nick, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder, "Just don't let her nagging get to you...I understand she can be a bit intense at times. Umph! It was only a joke, Carrots!"

The bunny officer exhaled heavily and crossed her arms, eager to begin, "So let's get down to business, shall we? What say we start with an introduction?"

Chris grimaced. He had never enjoyed introductions, but for this once he felt obliged to make a change, "Alright. My name is Chris Feng Zhongren, currently aged 23, born in…"

The clattering from the keyboard came to an abrupt stop, "Hang on...about your name, Chris. Does Chris stand for Christopher? And please excuse my asking, but what is "Zhong-wen"? Is it some sort of title?"

"Only Chris. It's just an English name that I've adopted to make foreigners' lives easier when they talk to me. As for Zhongren, it is my given name in our native language, meaning literally loyalty and benevolence. I know….I know, it sounds cliché and I promise you, it's been more than several times that I've been called an old geezer because of it."

Nick and Judy glanced briefly at each other in bewilderment before turning to face Feng in unison, their jaws hanging slightly open with uncertainty. The entire room was hanging in absolute silence. No word had to be spoken, and Chris already knew that he had a ton of explaining to work on.

"Okay, fine. Let's start from the basics, shall we? I'm a human being, also known as Homo Sapiens or 人類 in my language. In our world, only humans appear to be sentient beings, thus over the course of time we have evolved to be the lone dominant species. That was exactly why I was so shocked to meet you at first, Judy. You too, Nick. Back where I lived, animals like you had no capacity to even walk on their hind legs, let alone think or talk!"

He gave them some time to process the information, savoring the expression on the officer's faces. At one corner, the clattering immediately started up again.

"So... so you're really not from this world? I mean...at first even I thought you were only bluffing! You certainly got me surprised here, Fang." Nick broke the silence, chuckling nervously.

"Well, that would explain why we never found any of his kind in the city ever before. Tell me more about your world, Chris. I mean, how different is it? Why do we share the same language? Why can you..." The bunny's face turned crimson red as she blushed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to flood you with questions."

"There are approximately two hundred countries on Earth, all dominated by humans. Each and every one varies in size and culture, not to mention politics. I was born in one of the largest, known as the People's Republic of China, or just China if you want. Puning County of Guangdong Province, to be exact."

"But these things no longer matter here, and nor will you understand it. As I've mentioned earlier, I am a lieutenant in our country's armed forces, the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In the summer of the previous year, I was suddenly relieved of my company and sent alone to Xi'an, a major hub in Midwestern China on a covert mission." noticing Judy's eager expression, Chris produced a few crumpled photos from his pocket and passed them on to Nick and Judy. "This should give you an idea of what it's really like."

Nick hushedly shuffled over to his partner's seat and gazed over her shoulder at the photos which, though colorized, have dulled with age and wear. Despite the usual laid back appearance still hanging on his face, the officer's heartbeat subconsciously began to hasten, his body leaning slightly forward in a desperate urge to learn more-What he saw next totally blew his and Judy's mind.

When Chris had mentioned an alien city, the fox envisioned a peculiar combination of antholes and rural villages, teeming with humans of every colour and size. Instead, he was astonished to find a modern city brimming with glowing skyscrapers as well as highways clogged with line after line of vehicles. Something resembling a helicopter hovered over the towering buildings, casting its welcome glow over the population. Even through the worn-out photo, Nick could almost sense how vibrant this foreign country seemed. Parks, markets, pools...you name it, there was everything one normally expected to find within a city. If the fox hadn't known better, he might have even guessed that Xi'an itself was in a lesser known corner of Zootopia.

The only thing that jarred him from the imagination was the city's inhabitants-after living in Zootopia for most of his adult life, seeing all the mammalian kinds the world had to offer gathered in one place was already the norm for Nick. In retrospect, Xi'an almost seemed bland: Millions of humans, all with yellow skin and black fur on their heads, wandering around minding their own business without any knowledge whatsoever about Zootopia. How many people even lived in that place? Tens of millions? The whole area seemed jammed full to his eyes.

It was shockingly similar to Zootopia, the place he had called home for decades. Of course, compared to it Xi'an was much less majestic, it's buildings relatively sparse and scattered. But never in a million years could Nick have guessed that the human could have come from a background so relatable to his.

"Is... is this your capital? It seems like something I'd love to experience, and I am being honest here." Judy finally broke the silence, staring blinklessly at the human. "Those temples or pa... pago, what do you even call them again? They were scattered all over the city, and I've never seen anything like them before!"

"Pagoda," Feng corrected, reaching out his hand to collect the photos, "And no, Judy. Xi'an is only one of thirty second-tier cities scattered across the nation, and definitely isn't the grandest in terms of economy or construction either. There are much bigger ones out there, both within my country and without."

Recalling what she had pondered upon as she gazed at the sunset back at the compound, Judy couldn't help but wonder how big the world outside actually was. All of a sudden, Zootopia seemed peculiarly insignificant in the face of so many cities and towns existing next to each other. That added up to at least thirty Zootopias, thirty times its population-and that was only one country. _Funnily enough_ , she thought, _it's the only thing that I've known for my whole life._

"I guess these questions will have to wait then," she continued, suppressing her curiosity, "I know I've been tough on you, but here comes the biggie: How did you exactly get here? Don't rush, and take your time."

"The world I live in has never been a peaceful one," Chris chose his words carefully, "Over the past thousand years, humans have always found excuses to pick fights with each other-be it politics, ideologies, religion…all I can say we have always had a knack for killing each other."

"Remember how I was sent to Xi'an earlier? I'm not sure I should be telling you this, but it turned out that the very top was scrambling for battle-hardened veterans to guard a top secret nuclear facility miles away from the city. Normally we would have had the Armed Police do the job, but since I had served in the Southeastern Theatre a few years ago they guessed that I was suited for the job."

"To make a long story short, the facility was guarded by a contingent of military representatives from different countries, each one contributing to developing a new energy source for the whole world. Or so we thought. Before long it became apparent that the facility was some sort of gateway to another world, one that offered invaluable natural resources: That's where the Japanese came into play."

"I'll try to keep it simple so you two can understand-basically, the Japanese and we Chinese share an age-old rivalry that has persisted for millennia. With survivors of a huge war seventy years ago still very much alive and recent border disputes, it's pretty safe to say tensions still run pretty high between our populations. It's actually kind of like, y'know, rabbits and foxes. No offense, guys."

"None taken," affirmed Nick, "Please go on."

"Japan is an island nation bare of natural resources. That's all you need to know for now. Let's just say they got greedy and wanted all the benefits of the other world, I mean yours, for themselves. With the help of several Chinese and foreign collaborators, Japanese soldiers held a sudden sabotage and successfully captured the base, eliminating almost all of the friendly security personnel in the process. I was one of the few that got out, and that was with the help of a Japanese scientist I had befriended. She put her own life in danger by transporting me to this world to evade capture, through a portal that all the nuclear energy was supposed to be powering. All I know is that the entire compound is now under their hands, meaning that the only access to Zootopia on Earth is currently controlled by the Japanese alone."

"I have no idea of anything else." he finished, eyes downcast.

"Are they planning to invade Zootopia?" Judy, who had been as silent as a lamb throughout the questioning, was immediately up and about in fury, "You mentioned natural resources. What else is a world stripped bare of resources going to think about its counterpart chocked full of them? If you were telling the truth, humans do nothing but kill and slaughter. What else are they going to carry out besides an invasion?"

"Are you one of them?" she jabbed a paw at the human, "Are you a spy, a part of the shock troops?"

"Shhh, calm down, calm down Carrots. I'm sure he's trying to help." soothed Nick, making his way to the bunny.

Chris stuttered as he tried to defend himself, "I promise you, I'm not a serial killer, not a criminal….I have no idea why I am here!"

Yet Judy was still not satisfied, "Why else would they cut you open instead of welcoming you then?"

Feng held up his hands in surrender, "Look, I hate them just as much as you do! They killed everyone I knew, everyone I actually liked. And of all things I get transported to a world I never knew, get beaten out and nearly dissected on a lab table! God knows how far my home is right now!" For once, teardrops actually welled up on the soldier's eyes, "I have family too, you know."

"He's saved your life too," added the fox, who for once agreed with the human, "Not one but twice: He has one reason to do it if they are here to invade."

As if realizing something, Hopps fell silent and her paw faltered, hanging limply by her side. She wasn't the only one who had had her life fly past her in the past few days. Before she knew what was happening, sobbing emanated from the bed, and as she looked up Judy was surprised to see the human covering his face in dejection, tears streaming down like rivers down his cheeks. Even soldiers had their limits.

Putting her paw on his shoulder, the bunny moved closer until she was right next to him. Judy knew she had been too harsh on him-something had possessed her back at that moment, nothing else but the desire to protect the city she had loved since the day of her birth. Still, it was no excuse for what she had just done.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." all of a sudden, a lump grew in her throat as she struggled to fight back tears, "We'll find a way to get you home, I swear. What I said back there….please, don't take any of it seriously. I...I just...exploded."

"It's fine," sniffed Feng, wiping a streak of mucus away from his nose, "You have every right to be angry. Your city is possibly under attack-I would have done the same if mine were threatened as well. To be perfectly honest with you, it **is** right now, and I can't just twiddle my thumbs and do nothing, can I? I'm sure it works just the same way with you. "

"But there's still something I don't get," Chris braced himself as confusion filled Judy's face once more, "Even back at the firefight I couldn't help but notice something. Why did the ZERB, I mean your captors, tote Chinese weapons of all things? Aren't they only a Zootopian bureau?"

The human knew in an instant that she was referring to the rubber bullets and gas grenades they had seen (and used) in the breakout.

"I may have an inkling as to what happened," he slowly began, "Just bear with me for a while. My country has long since had a reputation for selling ordnance or military gear to foreign countries, often at a very low cost or for unusual benefits in return."

"Remember the uniform Nick and you wore back at the compound? It's camouflage pattern was exactly identical to what we have on Earth, so there's a very high possibility that…"

"I saw weird scribbles on the sleeve of the shirt." interrupted Nick, "with some sort of insignia. May I have I look at your uniform to confirm?"

It was only at that moment did Chris realize he was dressed in some sort of flabby hospital garment, it's sleeves so long that it hanged off the bed. His original combat uniform was nowhere to be seen-no wonder his entire body was itching all over.

"Do the scribbles look something like this?" he ventured, stretching out a finger. As Nick watched on bemusedly, Chris traced the characters "中國人民解放軍" on the coffee table amongst the dust.

"Exactly." the fox clapped his paws together in amazement, not sure what else would suffice as a reply, "But what is that?"

"It's the PLA in my language." Feng answered dismissively, "But what I truly don't understand is why my government is doing this. It isn't as if they don't have enough exports on my Earth…" he had never been very good at solving riddles.

"The energy resources, remember?" Judy tapped the side of her skull, "ZERB stands for the Zootopia Energy and Research Bureau. Or in other words, the ZERB has monopolized a resource that Earth very badly wants and needs-safe to say it now has a bargaining chip up their sleeves, a very valuable one at that too. My guess is that the weapons are what the ZERB wants in return for their services."

"I've eavesdropped enough to know stacks of secondhand weapons were transported to the compound on our side just days before the sabotage. Rifles, grenades, rocket launchers….you name it!" Chris continued. He was surprisingly enjoying this, "No prizes to guess where they all went."

"Why would the ZERB want all those weapons, though?" wondered Nick aloud, "They have all the government funding in paw."

"Before I try to answer this there is something I **have to** ask. What kinds of weapons do the ZPD have at its disposal? Any firearms?" Something suddenly came into Chris's mind.

"We have guns for firing tranquilizers, not to mention some larger ones for launching hooks or nets. That's pretty much it though. I seem to recall something about the government banning the type of weapon with rubber bullets when I was still a child." Judy piped up at the first mention of the ZPD.

"From what I've gathered so far the ZERB doesn't seem to have obtained any lethal weapons from the PLA, or else we wouldn't even have made it out. The new Japanese conquistadors are a completely different story though. Besides, don't blame me, but something's just **off** about the shipment of secondhand weapons. That's something my superior would never consider doing: but it's always possible a foreign officer was responsible for it. As to why they could trust sending such lethal tools to aliens they barely met, I honestly have no idea. That's all for now."

"All I know is that we have to be ready. What they're going to do with these firearms is anyone's guess, and with a totally new player joining the game in the form of the Japanese Government, I'd stay our worlds are genuinely at stake." he concluded exhaustedly. Chris hated reading detective stories for a reason.

"Why is the Chinese Government helping them?" Judy could feel the rage returning to her once more, "Why are they supporting such an evil organisation? Do they feel no shame?"

"My wild guess is that they have no idea the ZERB is an organization gone rogue. Think of it: the most logical explanation for a resource-holding institution has to be associated with the government, hasn't it? Weapons for resources. Resources for weapons. From the Party's perspective, this should be nothing but fair trade."

The room fell silent. From deep inside his heart, Feng was just secretly pleased that the bunny seemed to call down for a bit. He couldn't risk pissing her off, especially not in a world so alien to him.

Out of the blue, Nick's face lit up as another of his brilliant ideas emerged. Putting his arm around Chris, he suddenly said, "So I guess we now have a common enemy to fight against. We What say we propose a truce, one between the PF...I mean PLA and the ZPD? We'll sort out the rest of the tacky stuff later: just leave it to ol' Buffalo Butt. Not when our whole world is at stake."

Chris couldn't help but chuckle at the proposition, "I can't represent the entire military, officer."

The fox shrugged, "I guess that'll have to do for now." he stretched out his paw for Chris to shake, "Officer Nick Piberius Wilde, Zootopia Police Department, at your service."

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" exclaimed Judy, "I can't believe we haven't formally introduced each other yet." She climbed back onto the floor and saluted smartly, "Sergeant Judith Laverne Hopps, ZPD, but you can just call me Judy. It's an honor to meet you, lieutenant."

Feng returned the salute, "I'm glad we're finally working on the same front. With the way how things are looking, it seems that the our institutions both need each other to bring down this unholy alliance."

"Is...Is there any way to contact your world at the moment? I know this may sound a bit far off at the moment, but...Shouldn't it make sense to contact the PLA for help as well?" the bunny ventured, turning off her laptop and sliding it next to Chris.

"Y'know," the fox added, "We can't really trust the entire ZPD with the job right now, if Fluff over there is for once correct. The ZERB has got eyes everywhere, the police force included. The military is the only place where we can get all the heavy stuff."

"Then it'll have to take time." assured the soldier, "We'll have to recruit all those we can trust, not a whole organization but faithful individuals. With these firearms the ZERB might be unstoppable in your city. I'll leave this to you two-assuming you have more friends than enemies ."

"As for me, I'll just have to find a method to contact Earth. It'll be hard, but it's our best hope. Our best guess is that the Japs are now the ultimate source of all the weapons-they'll just keep coming unless we cut it totally."

He glanced at the folded laptop and grinned for the first time in ages, "And thanks to you, Judy, I think I've finally found a way."


	18. Tai Toa Kyoeiken

_**MNS19:**_ _ **Dai Tōa Kyōeiken**_

The Japanese scientist curled herself up into a ball as the cruel winter gusts forced their way into the barren cell, chilling to the very core every one of her bones. Sachiko vainly tried to pull the rags they called a blanket as close as possible, and her teeth couldn't help but clatter like that of an age-old typewriter. Wasn't there anything that resembled a central heating system left in the compound? Gosh...it must have been at least five degrees below zero in Xi'an-but to her, it seemed to be much, much more.

A few meagre flakes of snow billowed through the bars, gently tickling the tip of her nose as they landed. Curiously, the scientist summoned what was left of her energy and gently brushed it off, taking a glimpse at the only beautiful thing left around her. She should have known better-a heavy sigh emanated and formed a steady fog of vapour in front of Sachiko. Like almost everything else in the sky, the delicate pieces of snow were dusted in black.

The crunching of boots stampeding on concrete shook her from her brief trance, and Sachiko's ubiquitous thoughts of escaping automatically swirled through her mind once more. As much as she longed to be free, to be released, a subconscious part of her had long since denied the possibility-she was no superwoman. From the commotion that had been going on for at least four days, she could tell that there were a battalion of JSDF troops stationed at the very least. Yes, she had briefly been trained in karate almost a decade ago, but what else could she do now but weep?

Sachiko snarled as the gate slammed open, exposing three heavily-armed brutes in Chinese uniform. Their disguise, however, were in vain. The scientist knew very well that they were no Chinese soldiers. Without warning, two of them extended their hairy arms soaked with perspiration, and with a life-sucking grip tightened themselves into a coil around hers. They must have been as thick as tree trunks, their sleeves torn to reveal the refined muscles brimming beneath. Grunting in exhaustion, the men half-hoisted, half-dragged her out of her holding cell while the leader followed tightly behind, prodding his rifle aggressively at her back. It was as if he was daring her to try and make a move.

Ubiquitous around her, Matsuura could constantly make out marks that the firefight had left behind, unpleasant reminders that each and every one of her friends were either dead or missing. Remnants of what resembled bullet casings clanged against the walls as one of the guards kicked it from his path, it's echo emanating all the way down the empty corridor. Looking up, a dangling fluorescent tube cast out an eerie glare, and out of the corner of her eye Sachiko could spot dry puddles of reddish brown splattered messily on the floor tiles. Instinctively, she averted her glance in haste, afraid of the memories they might very possibly return to her.

Their pace slowed down as they reached a paneled oak door, one she automatically recognized as the colonel's office. A steady stream of warm air caressed her skin as they forced their way through every crack and hole, tousling her matted layers of hair-so the electricity was still working fully in the compound! The guard with the gun marched forward and drummed on the fine wood with his fingers, clearing his throat to announce himself.

"Miss Matsuura has arrived." the message was delivered in a guttural Kansai accent.

"Enter!" a throaty growl ordered. Sachiko couldn't help but tremble, all the while squashed between the grunts. At the back of her mind, she recognized the voice.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door squeezed open by just a fraction, barely large enough to allow her access. A comfortable shade of yellow flooded the bleak compound. Before she even had the chance to protest, Matsuura felt her chin collide with the carpeted floor as the guards literally threw her inside like a sack of potatoes, tearing off half her lab coat in the process.

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud. Bewildered, Sachiko picked herself up and surveyed the environment she now was in, all the while dusting the grit off what remained of her coat. The Japanese was normally a calm and cool female, but she couldn't help but snarl as she caught sight of who occupied the seat at the colonel's desk.

"I know perfectly how to walk myself, thank you very much!" Sachiko spat at the man in perfect English.

"You know very well I don't speak much English." the reply came in soft _Hyojungo_ Japanese, "You were always so smart when I taught you-how come you're so different now?"

The scientists eyes brimmed with beads of tears. "Why are you even doing this? All this...this is madness! It was my dream job, it was everything I ever had hope in! Everything I had worked for...Just gone like that!"

"No...no," he laughed before coughing uncontrollably into his palm, "I have saved you. I am forging you a better life. One day, you will thank me wholeheartedly for this gift I am about to grant you."

Frustrated by her incredulity, the Teacher tottered out of his swivel chair, pointing at a huge hand-drawn map of Eastern Asia pinned onto the wall. The island of Japan was highlighted in golden yellow, and as Matsuura traced his wrinkled fingers around the map, she could faintly notice that over half of China was shaded in a lesser shade of yellow. As if realizing something, she glanced hastily to the landmass of the Philippines, her gaze hungry for answers. The Southern Asian country too, was covered in yellow.

It was only then that she realized the map was probably well over 70 years old, a map of an era long since past.

" _ **Dai Toa Kyoeiken"**_ the Teacher was brimming with proudness just from pronouncing those few words, as his forefathers had been so many decades ago, "The Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere."

Sachiko couldn't hardly believe what she was hearing. Hadn't her countrymen learned enough from the consequences of that war, from the damage it had inflicted upon Japan? Even she as a young woman knew that such conflicts could never again be repeated-but this was coming from an old man who had lived through everything, of all people!

"Open your palm," the Teacher firmly instructed. Revealing his own, he placed a plump apple rich with color into her hands, "The very best of its kind." he introduced.

It was a Fuji apple, a brand she barely could afford during her youth.

"There is a sentence that I'm sure all Japanese have heard of," he began, pacing leisurely in circles around Sachiko, "The _**Yamato**_ race is zealous and hardworking, practically unrivalled among all its counterparts. For millennia, there has only been one stumbling block between us and prosperity, and that is our geography."

"Japan is an island nation nearly bare of resources-not even our native ingenuity could have altered this curse. I'm sure you have heard of the _**Sengoku**_ period. From fertile land to fossil fuels, we Japanese have squabbled with each other for thousands of years, foolishly fighting over these few meagre pools of resources. It was almost as if our Creator had nothing to offer us: but yet for all these years we persisted of our own will."

"Success was well within our grasp seventy years ago," He rested his palm on the yellowed map, gravely sighing in disappointment, "China had been subjugated; Southeast Asia had been conquered; We were well on our way to utterly dominate the Pacific islands. But yet, at the most critical moment…"

He turned to Matsuura, his traumatized eyes seared blank in nightmarish thought, stretching far back to the time when The Miracle in the Pacific had been made.

"Everything had run out by the final two years. No fuel for our planes, no coal for our ships, no food for our fighting men-not even our war plunder from China could have replenished that. It was utterly hopeless at that point. Once again, Japan was subjugated from a nation wealthier in resources than it was."

"Why are you even telling me this?" The scientist crossed her hips, demanding an answer.

The Teacher shot a furious glance at her, "You know very well what potential this compound carries."

Sachiko stared blankly at him, too dumbfounded for words. How had he known?

"The portal. The energy it contains." his words echoed her thoughts. "You must be so surprised,my dear, that I know everything you've been hiding so delicately all along."

A side door opened at that moment, one that led to some sort of annex. Soundlessly, a tall silhouette in military fatigues toppled onto the carpet, his hands chained firmly behind his back by a pair of rusted handcuffs. The soldier's face was terribly bruised and covered in irregular splotches of dark purple, while gargantuan blisters had broken out everywhere on his skin.

Despite the strands of slimy hair that veiled his face, a gasp still escaped Sachiko's mouth as she recognized who it was. She never really had much interaction, let alone a conversation with Colonel Li, but Sachiko recalled him as a polite man who would greet her every time they crossed paths. Now he resembled a ragged caveman, worlds apart from his original self.

"I'm sorry," he panted, spitting specks of saliva onto his uniform with every breath.

"Mr. Li hasn't been really cooperative with us." the Teacher continued, staring apathetically at the writhing human beneath him, "It took us three days to crack his mouth open, two more to reveal who is in control of the other side. Now we know everything we need to know."

"I've been planning this ever since you were in your diapers." He chuckled benevolently, "The day the Japanese Government volunteered for the programme, our organization has had our eye fixated on this venture. Of course, we were powerless back then, but things have long since changed. Our people are everywhere in the government-we rotated our own troops in, we trained scientists specifically for this task. We all serve one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to revive the glories of _**Dai Nippon Teikoku**_."

"You were one of them, Sachiko," he smiled sadly at his student, "Why have you strayed so far?"

"I was never on your side." she retorted, not daring the meet the gaze of Colonel Li.

"There is only one more thing that's in our path." it was as if he hadn't heard Sachoko's complaints at all, "When the Chinese evacuated this facility they were smart enough to take with them all the scientific personnel, ours included. I regret to say that all were killed in the crossfire as we hunted the survivors down-none of them survived."

"Guess what?" He smiled sinisterly at his student, "You're the only one left who knows how to run the system."

Sachiko's mind immediately began to spin wildly: She knew perfectly what this madman was capable of, and it was obvious she was in no place to stop him. The power he held in his hands was tremendous. There was no way to get the word out either-no one would believe her, and she bet all the radio channels were heavily monitored anyway.

How Feng was getting along was anyone's guess-Matsuura recalled showing him how to operate one of the communicators, but with the system broken down and requiring rebooting, it was near impossible for any messages to reach the other side.

 _ **Think**_ , she urged herself, _**be the student you used to be.**_

What if she complied? There was always a possibility that Chris could contact the PLA once they were through: He had contacts, he had clearance she didn't have.

In a way she was stuck-open the portal now, and risk the extremely likely chance that Chris was dead. All the access to the resources would then lie in the Madman's grasp. Even if his elaborate guise was one day revealed to the Chinese Government, it would by then be far too late. She knew even a drop of this energy was enough to change the world forever if it fell into the wrong hands.

He would win no matter what.

"I see you hesitating," he prompted, "Unbelievable. It's a no-brainer, if you'll excuse that term. You are a pure Japanese. What happens to these people should be the least of your concern."

He nudged at Colonel Li with his leather shoes.

"If you don't, I shall have no choice but to allow you to follow Colonel Li down. I hate to say this, my dear, but we've reached the endgame. You have only one option."

It was truly do or die now.

At that moment, Sachiko was tempted to scream her life out at the world, to stretch out her hands and claw the face off this man whom she loathed with all her heart. But yet, for the sake of Chris, she put on a smile for the first time in weeks.

"On one condition," her voice was unbelievably hoarse.

"And what would that be?" He gazed at her through his round, owlish glasses. A tiny grin was slowly creeping up his lips.

"You mentioned somebody controlling the other side. Who is on the other side of the portal?"

"Time will soon tell, my dear. After all, it's not your job to negotiate with them. Moreover, you know very well we shouldn't be discussing this in _**mixed company**_."

Colonel Li was now rasping on the ground, his eyelids drooping so low that he could hardly see out of his bloodshot eyes.

"Your work will begin first thing tomorrow-I will see to it that you are given first-rate quarters and rations. A new batch of trainees will be arriving straight from Japan in five days, and I expect them to be fully trained within the month. There is no room for any error, and you better not let my expectations down. We may have known each other for a long time, but be reminded, I'm not afraid to use whatever means it takes to force you to cooperate with me."

"Isn't there anything you could tell me?" She urged, desperate for any inkling of the world Chris was now surviving in.

He was facing the map again, his voice dreamy in a trance-like state. The thoughts of a new Japanese Empire just wouldn't leave his mind.

"We did it seventy years ago. We shall do it again. With the help of this new power, we shall be unstoppable."

Sachiko felt the muscular arms curl around her once more, tugging her from her stool and back out towards the entrance. At the moment, the scientists felt as if she was being sprayed with a hose of manure-the situation was on the very brink of hopelessness.

But on the bright side, however, she would have at least five days alone on the system, free of any interference. There was something she had withheld from her mentor-she had learned firsthand from her peers that would take no more than twelve hours for the system to fix itself. After that, she would have almost a week to decide on how to proceed next, be it escape or communicate.

"Of yes, Sachiko." The Teacher halted her footsteps over his shoulder, "Since you seem to be so enthusiastic about learning about the inhabitants of the side, I feel that you are entitled to be in knowledge of one tiny matter a form of repayment for your service."

"And what would that be?" Matsuura was sick and tired of his games-she was no lab mouse, for God's sake!

Sensing her annoyance, the Teacher smiled mischievously to himself.

"They call themselves the ZERB."


	19. A Volunteer

**Chapter 19: A Volunteer**

The day was finally coming to a close like any other in the city.

The sun cast its remaining rays in a beautiful aura across the unlit room, bathing everything in a pleasant shade of crimson. From their vantage point hundreds of metres above the sprawling metropolis, it was as if the thick blanket-like layer of clouds had been set ablaze by the setting sun. The bunny, the fox and the human watched on in equal amazement-they had all seen their fair share of sunsets, be it on a farm, an apartment or a cottage, but such a brilliant display exceeded whatever vocabulary they had at their disposal.

Partially veiled by the red blanket hanging above them, millions of mammals of every shape and size scurried like ants beneath the hotel, gushing like a tidal flood onto subways and buses homeward bound. None of them had the patience to cease their paze gaze upwards into the sky, to delve into this little secret that Mother Nature generously offered. One by one, the towering skyscrapers that dotted Zootopia showered themselves in blinding halos of light, filling up the dark void that the sun had left behind as it traversed its final leg across the sky. A sluggish trickle of flashing spots clogged every highway in sight, and even through the bullet-proof windows of the balcony, the human thought he could catch the deafening cacophony of honking and screeching a world beneath him.

"So...about that computer you've mentioned. Are you sure it can contact your friends on the other side of this... portal?" Judy's questioning shattered the silence in the room.

"My best friend works at the site on our side, and she once told me the closer it is to the portal, the higher chance they'll turn up. I have no reason to mistrust her." The lieutenant insisted.

"But how can we get our paws on one? I'm not going back, that's for sure."

"Look-this is all my bad. I forgot to snag one on the way out. Well, on second thoughts, it wasn't as if we had the time to do so anyway."

"How difficult can it be?" Wilde cut in, yawning idly, "Doesn't your shrew friend mention having contacts in there? One of those polar bears should do the trick."

Judy nodded, "I'll call him now." Her paws reached for the call button. She was extra careful to avoid any of her electronic devices, which Mr. Big had proven to be bugged.

The fox gently rested his paw on her arm, guiding it away from the button, "Those white brutes can wait. Don't really want them stomping all around, do we?"

"Mhm."

A bout of comedic coughing emanated from the soldiers corner of the room.

"Ummm...Do you mind if I ask a horribly inappropriate question, here and now?" Chris prompted cautiously.

"Shoot." Wilde grinned slyly as he turned to face his bed, "Might just as well get it over and done with."

He took a deep breath.

"Are…" the soldier braced himself, "Are you two...y'know, a couple?"

The two officers shared a long uncomfortable stare, and Chris instantly regretted asking the question. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Judy shifting apprehensively on her seat, her lips puckering as she deliberately avoided eye contact with the fox. Gosh, the sweat was flowing down her forehead like a steady stream of rivers!

Just as even Chris could feel the situation growing unbearably awkward, Wilde clapped his paws together and broke out in racorious laughter out of the blue, all the while nudging the bunny with his shoulder. As insensitive as he was, the human could instinctively feel a tiny ounce of discomfort stemming from the bunny, as if her smile had reluctantly been forced on.

"What's so funny?" His face clouded over, "I've already told you everything about myself, but I still know almost nothing about you two."

"Nick's just my best friend," Judy was struggling just to maintain a nonchalant appearance, playing anxiously with her paws, "We've also been partners together on the force for two years."

Nick nodded in agreement, but as his ears caught the word _**just**_ , he felt an unexplainable knot tighten deep within his soul.

"I'll leave Carrots the honor of introducing how we met two years ago." He winked at the bunny, encouraging her to go on.

"Believe it or not, he actually tried to hustle me all those years ago, and that was how we first met…."

Shadows grew and twisted as Judy revisited that period of her past, while the blaze outside the room grew from red to grey to black, covering the metropolis in its sleek black coat.

By the time the bunny finished her story, the sun had vanished from the horizon, and soon the only illumination was from the millions of electric lights that brightened up the night sky.

"No wonder you were so close," Chris found himself sympathizing with their encounter, "But I still can't imagine an entire population split into two based on who they are born as."

"Me neither. Zootopia isn't supposed to work that way." Judy's ears drooped down just a fraction, "But thankfully it's over."

"There's still another thing I can't believe-I never thought natural enemies could work so perfectly as you two. A bunny and a fox, who could've thought of it?" He glanced first at Nick, then shifted slowly towards the bunny.

Chris didn't notice it at first, but the tiniest shade of red began to grow on Judy's cheeks, her eyes deliberately avoiding the fox's.

"Who knows? Maybe I was a bunny in a past life. It's just one of those unexplainable little things." Nick strolled over and curled his arm supportively around Judy, "Not even Ol' Buffalo Butt did, and I swear, he was half-expecting us to fall apart within the first month we were partners."

"Hey, chin up," he tickled beneath her jaw playfully, "There's nothing to be shy of."

Gradually, her muscles began to relax, and she trustfully leaned against Nick's torso.

"Well, we've proved him wrong, and that's clear to see," the fox chuckled as he continued, "And ever since, we've been shown on every cover of the monthly ZPD magazine I recall. Gotta say I loved that publicity."

"No one ever asked for my opinion," the bunny crossed her hips and pretended to be upset.

"In their defense, you two _**do**_ make a really cute couple…" Feng commented dreamily.

Two pairs of eyes automatically bore onto him like lasers.

Chris covered his mouth hastily, not believing what he had actually spouted. Almost instantly, Judy inched away from Nick's warmth and moved towards the other end of a couch, fidgeting so vigorously that the fabric quickly creased under her weight. Not even the darkish layer of fur could on her face camouflage the brilliant shade of crimson that had quickly blossomed any longer. Meanwhile, Nick's arm was left dangling mid-air, as if still relishing the bond it had built with the bunny. His mouth opened slightly in both frustration and surprise, but not even a single word formed out.

The fox glared at the lieutenant. _**Humans and their stupid mouths**_ , he grumbled deep within. He wasn't offended at the very least by his remark, well, not _**THAT much**_ anyway-what really bothered him was how shy Judy was reacting.

"Shi….fuck it! I didn't even know what was coming out until the very last moment...I…" the human blabbered unceasingly, cradling his head in his arms.

His complaints impaled Nick's ears like a whirlwind, but the fox wasn't having any of it: His eyes were concentrated on his partner alone, making out her petite silhouette that slumped over in a curl at the very edge of the couch. Even though her paws casually covered most of her face, it was obvious from the wrinkles on her forehead that she had submerged herself in deep thought. Curiosity beckoned, and he bent towards slightly himself and took a better glance at her originally radiating, violent eyes.

Were those tears? For a moment, Judy seemed as if she really was crying. Apprehensive thoughts immediately clouded over Nick's mind. _**Gosh, I will KILL that Fang if she actually does.**_ His paws furiously curled up to form two bony fists, an entire body of orange fur spiking up in anger.

To his complete surprise, the bunny hopped up from her place on the couch and turned to face the human's bed, putting on her classical brave smile that he regularly saw when they dealt with witnesses on particularly heavy-handed cases. Mystified, his fists gradually softened until they were just normal paws dangling leisurely by his sides.

"You know...I'm not sure how to put this exactly, but I almost never had the time to think about finding a partner over these two years at the ZPD." she chuckled, albeit a bit forcedly, "By partner, I don't mean just working together, I mean…"

Nick sighed, "We get it, Carrots. Please go on."

"I just...can't deal with someone...I mean anything disrupting my work, no matter if they have _**good intentions**_ or not," her word pace grew slower now, as if something was nagging her from continuing, "Being in the ZPD has always been my childhood dream, and working at Precinct One has already exceeded my wildest expectations-especially working together with Nick."

She took a long gaze at the fox, her paw placed expressively over her own heart.

"You have changed my life, Nick, no kidding," a real smile now, although Nick could almost swear seeing a few drops gathering on the brim of her eyes, "And I can't bear to see anything bringing this all crashing down."

She shifted her gaze once more and gently scrubbed her eyes, unwilling to show her weakness in front of their new friend, "Achieving dreams takes many sacrifices, and well, mine is no exception. So...it has been more than once I've had to brush away twinges in my heart, no matter how...how strong they were...or are"

Nick paced towards to lend the bunny a reassuring arm on her shoulder, and as he peeked down and met her gaze, he could almost hear himself desperately cry out loud: _**This is not real, right, Carrots? You know you love me; You know I love you. No, this can't be real, can it?**_ He searched for any hint in her eyes, hunting for any clue to prove that she had been hiding more from him.

Did he love her? Yes, yes he did: only this he could say in certainty. But _**as what**_ did he love her?

"I'm sorry, Nick, but I really do need to _**go,"**_ She gestured uncomfortably, abruptly shattering the silence in the room.

But as her body moved away from his, there was another thing he instantly knew for certain-there had definitely been a twinge in his heart.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Officer Wilde fished uninterestedly through the runny concoction with a spoon, searching ravenously for a single morsel of fish that he could enjoy. _**Gosh**_ , he thought, _**was that everything the Chinese ate all their lives?**_ Judy had once again served up porridge for their evening meal, the abomination that Dr. Zebren had so deftly recommended. As the fox vainly gulped down a mouthful of water to dampen the taste, he couldn't help but wonder if the old geezer was out of his mind.

Before long, he was the only mammal left along the table, the human having long since cleaned the very edges of his bowl. Just out of the corner of his eye, he could sense Judy plopping herself onto one of the numerous couches next to Chris' bed, their eyes fixated on the Plasma TV's 50-inch screen. The soldier watched in dumbfounded silence whilst the daily rundown of the city unfolded in front of his very eyes. To Nick's surprise, she was still exceptionally friendly to him even after the awkward conversation they just had, volunteering to familiarize him with the alien world he now found himself in. The fox cursed under his breath as his eardrums caught numerous reporters droning after the other on ZNN, correctly guessing that the duo was surfing through all the news channels one by one.

"Wow." the lieutenant rubbed his eyes in disbelief, "I guess your police force has to put up with _**a lot**_ each day."

Judy immediately realized he was referring to the numerous burglaries, arson cases, missing mammals endlessly broadcasted on television. And he was right-almost everyone she knew on the force had their paws full with work.

"Nobody ever said it was easy," Judy grimaced, "We even had to cut down the number of officers last year after the new Mayor reduced our budget again."

"I'd _**die**_ to see Ol' Bogo's expression that day again," the fox finally decided to call it quits, coming down to join the two on the sofa, "It was definitely one of the few good days in my life."

"You wouldn't be saying that if they doubled our patrol time." she rolled her eyes in frustration, "Chief Bogo's already been handing us a lot more paperwork these days."

"At least Fangmeyer got laid off. Never liked him much anyways...always picking on me." he complained.

" _ **NICK!?"**_ Judy could hardly believe what she had just heard.

"How big is Zootopia anyways?" before Nick even had the opportunity the retort her, Chris's question abruptly interrupted their innocent bickering, "For its size, the ZPD seems to have an awful lot on its plate."

"Zootopia is a metropolitan city state comprising of 7 main districts, including habitats for most kinds of mammals, and each district has its own branch of police officers." the bunny began almost robotically, "There are also various suburbs and farms on the far-fletched fringes of the city, and I myself grew up in one of them. In fact, our city is home to more than 38 million mammals of all shapes and sizes."

Their population was larger than any city on Earth-perhaps equivalent even a combination of Beijing and Shanghai, two of the largest population centres in China. With his limited knowledge, the Chinese soldier could only envision a much larger and more modern version of Singapore, albeit as one with a multitude of climates and environments. How did they even manage to cluster so many in a single city? Chris had never studied biology a day in his life, but even he knew that it was naturally impossible.

"Well, my country has a landmass of around 9.6 million kilometres square, making it one of the largest in our world. Like your city, we share a wide range of natural landscapes, from tropical rainforests in the southwest to the Gobi Desert in the Far North. Well to be frank, these habitats are scattered over wide distances anyway, so it's hardly the same as Zootopia."

Even then, he still had trouble pronouncing the name.

"What about your uniformed forces then, Fang?" For once, the fox actually seemed to be interested in their conversation, "Don't tell me it's even tinier than ours."

"Now, that's different." Chris's face lit up at the mention of his compatriots, "The People's Liberation Army has over 2 million active personnel under 5 main branches, along with five hundred thousand others acting as Reserve Forces. Things have changed a lot these few years, but if I'm not wrong, there are still 3 million more serving in the Chinese Militia. We also have an additional 1.5 million men and women under the _**People's Armed Police**_."

 _ **(N/B:**_ _**The PAP is DIFFERENT from the regular police forces within China. This paramilitary unit is primarily responsible for internal security, as well as providing ground support for the PLA during wartime. Many of their personnel are/were also members of the PLA.)**_

 _ **That's AT LEAST 7 million mammals under arms,**_ Judy added up the numbers dumbfoundedly, _**What kind of country even needed a military so large to protect itself? What did China even need to protect itself against?**_

"That's a hell lot of soldiers." Nick's jaw dropped, realizing Chris was only one out of millions of others. "But lemme do the math, that...that's like 20% of our entire population!"

As if reading his mind, Chris replied, "I haven't even added in our regular police forces yet, the _**Gongan**_ , which is scattered throughout the entire country. That's...that's well over 2 million additional personnel similar to you two."

"I know, I know that seems like a lot, but it's only normal for a population our size." he took a deep breath, "As of now, there are over 1.4 billion Chinese residing within our borders. Most of them now live in major coastal cities built in recent years, though I can say for sure none of them match Zootopia in both size and splendour. Heck, your city's population is roughly equivalent to two of the largest population centres in China!"

At the mention of the military, Nick's ears perked up and even Judy could sense the excitement nibbling into his heart. Gosh, that fox couldn't be interested in those Chinese weapons, could he? She could still recall his disdain for the tranquilizers they had been issued with, complaining that he wanted yet more self-defence. To be brutally honest with herself, Judy was slightly afraid of what the Chinese military at its disposal, even if they _**really**_ were on her side-weren't they worried that those tools of destruction fell into the wrong paws? From her point of view, those weapons could be used to destroy Zootopia as easily as they could be used to save it.

"Can you show us what your military looks like?" the bunny ventured, trying to find out more about the forces that now potentially threatened Zootopia, "Just...just in case we ever get to cooperate in the future."

Feng produced a mobile phone from his pocket, much to Nick's surprise, "If you really want me to. I know this may sound stupid, but is there any WiFi around here? I seriously don't feel like squashing all three of our faces together just to gaze at a tiny screen."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

For the past half hour they had been watching an endless stream of Chinese military maneuvers on TV, which Chris had finally connected to his phone after fumbling clumsily for ten minutes with the wireless connection. Frankly speaking, what Judy witnessed fully revolutionized how she had defined "uniformed forces" in the past. When Chris had casually brought up the PLA in passing, she had naturally assumed it to be an enlarged version of the ZPD, albeit armed with slightly more lethal firearms. She presumed Nick had also thought of it that way.

How wrong she had been.

Instead, she was greeted with thousands upon thousands of mammals donning matching uniforms marching smartly in square formation, bellowing out slogans as they passed by a crimson gate located on some sort of plaza. The scores of red banners they held up high fluttered proudly in the light breeze, the sunlight reflected off clusters the skyscrapers which towered over the procession. Judy had taken part in her fair share of inspection parades during her career, but the near perfect coordination shown by every soldier shocked even her, an exceptionally nitpicking bunny. Secretly, she wondered how many times they must have rehearsed previously to achieve the stunning performance-every step they took, every salute they gave was all in impeccable synchronization.

"Have you ever marched like this before?" The fox had asked curiously.

"I haven't had the honor yet, officer." he shook his head in pity, "Those spots are only reserved for the best of the best."

The goose-stepping soldiers were then followed by a convoy consisting of multitudes of armoured vehicles, variants of which Nick could only fantasize of driving to work at the ZPD. _SAM Missiles, caterpillar tracks, tanks….._ vocabulary he had but a vague concept of suddenly flooded his mind, leaving him to guess which vehicle was which as the commentary brushed him by. Some of the Jeeps he could recognize from the heavier units in the Police, but for others, such as the one with a large cannon mounted on top, he left those for the work of his imagination. Still, for him it was a spectacular sight to behold, a sandstorm of exhaust whirling from the thundering engines. Noticing Nick's transfixion onto the screen, Chris felt obliged to play another demonstration of those vehicles, this time with them fully deployed in action during a live-fire drill.

Waves of rockets ejected from their pods just as how bees escaped a hive, an eerie layer of smoke enshrouding the training field whilst heavy artillery let out salvo after salvo. Squadrons what resembled helicopters flew haphazardly above in rigid formation, raking the surface with rapid bursts of accurate machine-gun fire. He'd hate to be caught in that hell once it broke out. Amongst all the confusion, Officer Wilde could catch squadrons of infantrymen gathering behind the hulking silhouette of the "tanks", covering their ears whenever its main gun decided to erupt with a display of fire. Chris knew subconsciously that it was merely a heavily-edited display of warfare with all the messy bits edited out, the kind all males in his world fell in love with instantly. He guessed that it was no different with the fox.

"Boys will be boys," he commented jokingly and prodded the fox on the shoulder, much to Nick's annoyance.

"I think I've seen enough," it was Judy this time, her tone worlds apart from the one that had described Zootopia in vivid detail to him, "I've got something to say."

Mystified, the two males tore their gazes from the television and now stared rather dumbfoundedly at her. Sighing deeply, the bunny crossed her arms.

"Chris...it turns out that our worlds genuinely share too many differences from each other. I don't know if you enjoy watching all that, but in my eyes, everything you just showed me means nothing but pure destruction. Not judging your intentions as an individual, of course-it's just that…, it's just that the capability those weapons behold pose too much of a threat to my city."

She paused to inhale another deep breath.

"You've mentioned the ZERB and the Chinese exchanging resources and ordnance, haven't you? It's too late to retract that process now, I believe. As a dumb bunny, I sincerely have no idea about your Earth, Chris: Maybe those are mere toys those to you and your superiors, and maybe your military genuinely works for the interests of those it serves-but who knows? Here in the city where I live and love, the ZPD has no defence for anything you've just demonstrated, nor can we resist it. If either the ZERB or the Japanese force resort to violence, we may have no choice but to give in to their demands."

And she was right. The ZPD was meant to maintain order, to crack down on crime rates within the city-it was never intended to wage war against a hostile country armed-to-the-teeth.

"Then I promise you the PLA will help," the soldier pledged, "We will try our best to set things right."

"Don't forget it's _**them**_ who sent the ZERB those devices in the first place," Judy said accusingly, "God knows what intentions they have concealed. Tell me, Chris, does China lack energy resources?"

Reluctantly, he nodded. "We have to import a major percentage of the energy we use annually." the lieutenant admitted morosely.

"That only corroborates my point," she continued with her paws on her hips, "Even if you _**did**_ stop the ZERB successfully, what do you think would come next? Do you think Earth would give up their pursuit for resources just like that? There is no fighting our greed, Chris, and you know it. We may have evolved, but deep down we are all still animals."

History stood by her side this time-Chris could dream up of half a dozen examples in an instant. The Spanish Conquistadors and the Aztecs, the Americans and the Native Indians, the British and the Africans….heck, even his country was a major victim of colonialism a mere century ago! Would his ancestors have trusted a foreign entity with seemingly unlimited power for salvation? He knew perfectly they once did-they had relied upon the United States, the Soviet Union during different points in history….but at the end it had only resulted in one thing, and that was conflict.

Standing beside her, Nick found himself gradually agreeing with what the bunny had proven, subconsciously nodding his head in approval. Decades of dealing with the Underworld had taught him peace meant nothing but having a bigger stick than the other mammal-no prizes at guessing who held the bigger one in this case! Chris now stood alone haplessly, and he spread out his arms in a bout of frustration.

As if reading his mind, Judy said, "That doesn't mean you're a bad mammal, Chris: You're so much more than that. You've been a great friend so far, and maybe...maybe we can even continue working together after all this is done with! But after seeing what your military has to offer, I'd just say I would very much like to keep a fine distance between our worlds- I can't afford to see this city come under attack."

Chris nodded wordlessly, totally at a loss as to how to make an appropriate response.

All of them had trouble sleeping that night.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

 _ **(First-Person Narrative)**_

They came for us early in the morning, their limousine arriving first thing at dawn.

Instead of the welcome ringtone of my mobile phone, it was her gentle tapping on the shoulder that aroused me from my restless slumber-I forced my eyelids open to see Judy's face looming over mine, her eyes betraying the fact that something was amiss. Grumbling, I crawled out of the covers and turned towards her, my wiry arms firmly crossed.

"What's wrong?" I struggled to stifle a yawn, "It's barely light outside."

"There's someone at the door: Just thought I might wake you first." a staccato burst of knocking hammered onto the front door, and my ears perked up at once, "No prizes for guessing who it is."

"They couldn't have picked a better time." I hastily threw on a casual basketball jersey, scooping up my tranquilizer which laid idly on the windowsill. We tiptoed past the guest room, taking exceptional care not to wake the injured human-Chris was still fast sleep, his snores threatening to overtake those of the knocks. Speaking of knocks...if I hadn't known better, I would have sworn those polar bears were trying to pound the entire place down.

The bunny vigilantly stood aside whilst I unfastened the chain and bolt, not that it could have done much of a difference against their sheer size. Before I even had a chance to reach for the lock, the door swung gaping open without any warning, smashing into a million shards the mirror hanging on an adjacent wall. Judy's mouth naturally opened in protest, but nothing formed as the two gargantuan polar bears stormed into the hotel room uninvitedly, raking the surroundings with their demanding glares.

"So...Koslov and Boris!" I chuckled nervously, still trying to make the best out of the encounter, "Long time, no see! Would you two like some fish? I'm sure we have plenty in store."

"Cut the chit-chat," the taller of the two held up his paw, "We're not here for your banter."

Practically shoving me out of their way, the giants heaved themselves onto the largest sofa they could find in the room-as they did so, I could literally hear the wood screeching in pain under their near-unbearable weight. One of them casually snapped open a can of sardines, not caring to share with its companion before emptying its contents in one gulp. Throughout all this, Judy timidly stuck her body right next to mine, and whispered delicately into my ear, "They're all just a bunch of big, bad bullies."

A grin was the only thing I could muster in response.

"You mentioned something about retrieving an item from the ZERB compound over the system last night. What would that be? It better not be a waste of my time, or I'll make you wish you'd never been born." Boris's gaze bore into mine, and a steady stream of perspiration automatically poured down my neck.

"It's an Interdimensional Communications Device-sleek back, almost paper-thin in width, and almost uncanny in appearance to one of our laptops." ignoring the unnatural twists in my tongue, I tried my best to recall how the human had described the contraption.

"And where would that be located? I've been working at the compound for more than a year, and _**not even once**_ have I seen anything that resembles what you just told me." something told me that Boris wasn't amused at the least.

"The portal room." Judy snatched to chance to respond, "The closer it is to the access point, the higher probability there is of one turning up."

"I assume that you know _**that**_ is, of course." I chuckled politely, unaware of how much information the shrew had been feeding his minions.

"What do you think we are, _**dipshits?**_ " demanded Koslov, resting his long legs upon the ottoman, "We've managed to get our paws on each and every single report the ZERB issued within the past 12 months."

"Then that should be settled," concluded Judy as I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "We only need one of those laptop devices from the portal room in the compound That's all-thanks in advance for all your help." It was clear she felt as uncomfortable with their presence as I did.

"Woah, woah, woah! You're a little too brisk about that, are you, bunny?" the polar bears racorious laughter sent Judy's paw flying onto my arm. What unsettled business was there left to deal with?

"Okay, look-there's something Mr. Big didn't let you on about," Sensing our restless glances, Boris leaned towards us slightly more amiably, "Our intelligence inside the ZERB...they're seriously limited, in case you haven't realized already. Remember how I mentioned being undercover for one year? The one preceding me was executed, and the one before him had been no exception. I was the one sent to take his place. There were a lot more of us to begin with, a dozen, to be exact-we're the only ones left now."

"The ZERB cracked down on its personnel just a few hours after you escaped. You think they would just let it go that way? Five of us-purged just like that." Koslov began bitterly, his heavy accent barely concealing his rage, "Have you ever realized you're putting our lives on the line just to help you get a _**fucking computer**_!"

"I..I'm sorry, I truly am." with that in mind, soon even Judy was lost for words. Meanwhile, I just stared absentmindedly at the two agents, totally unsure of how to comfort them.

"Promises don't mean anything nowadays." Boris shook his massive head, "I know you feel for us, but you gotta do your share this run, if you get what I mean."

"How do you want us to help? Getting shot at? Cause a distraction for you or something?" I spit the sentence out word by word-over my dead body were they going to force Judy to do anything for them. A pool of sweat gathered on the handle of my tranquilizer.

"That's not quite what I had in mind. We only need one of you, I promise. _**A volunteer.**_ " the polar bear placed a paw faithfully above his heart, "Koslov and I-we're rookies, the only ones that survived the purges. Keeping a low profile sure saved our asses back there, but I presume you understand that's caused another problem for us."

" _ **You don't have access to the portal rooms?**_ " I could barely believe what I was hearing. Surely Mr. Big's resources were better than this?

"I'm sorry," Boris grimaced at us, his paws cusping to form a stand for his chin, "There simply wasn't time for us to gain sufficient trust from the ZERB-when you arrived, we hardly had the clearance to anything."

" _ **Oh sure!**_ _**Pile the blame on us!"**_ His companion roared and stood up to his full height, waggling a digit in our faces, "It's not _**OUR FAULT**_ that you got yourselves into this shit. Remember-we don't work for _**YOU-**_ we work for Mr. Big!"

"Ol' Koslov lost his buddy in that last purge just a few days ago." Boris apologized awkwardly, beckoning at Judy and I, "It's hard to get over it, you know. Just imagine if you lost her, or if she lost you! You get what I mean, don't you?"

"Then what can we do for you?" I genuinely had nothing to offer the bears.

"We counterchecked the security footage on the day of your breakout-it was you in the portal control room, wasn't it? If my memory hasn't deceived me, I recall an unfamiliar red fox donning a ZERB uniform accessing the room at around 3 in the afternoon."

" _ **What was that about?**_ " I spun around to see a furious Judy interrogating me, "You were supposed to be waiting at the garage! No wonder you got yourself arrested!"

I held up my paws in defence, "Woah, woah, Carrots! I just decided to go on some, what do you call it, ah yes-reconnaissance while you were gone." I took special notice not to mention anything about Chris in mixed company.

" _ **You nearly got yourself killed! How do you I'd feel then?**_ "

"I'll suggest you lovebirds leave your bickering until much later. Anyways-that means you've made your way into that labyrinth of a chamber: Do you remember the way in there? Did you see anything we might need to find?"

"It was so dim I very nearly lost my way in there," I gasped, reluctantly revisiting the house of horrors, "I do remember seeing something resembling computers, but I truly can't put my paw on it. But yes-I vaguely remember its layout. If need be, I can lead our way through. They don't compliment a fox's senses for nothing."

"Excellent-I'll see to it that you'll be smuggled in alone with us." bubbling with happiness, Boris extended a paw in congratulations.

"What do you mean by smuggling? You're not taking Nick in there with you, are you? Once was quite enough!" Judys ears immediately perked up in surprise, her mouth instinctively coming to my defence. "Can't you relay where you are through a concealed camera or something? I'm sure we could work something out-"

"They've jammed the radio signals, Carrots." The game was up-there was only one option left for me to pick,, "Even Ol' Buffalo Butt couldn't put us through back in the cruiser."

" _ **But, Nick…"**_

The bunny very nearly lost me once a mere few days ago, and now, she was about to lose her best friend again-it was was if all we had done to break out had been in vain.

"I promise you everything just fine, ma'am-my colleagues have been studying in the fine art of espionage for two decades. They can smuggle a bull into a china shop if need be!" patting her on the pack, Boris attempted futilely to comfort the bunny.

But I could sense Judy was still not convinced.

" _ **If we go, we go together."**_

"Look-Chris can barely move, and frankly speaking, I can't stand living alone with that mammal for more than a day. We just don't have the chemistry, ok? But let's put that aside." I took a deep breath, trying to swipe away the lump growing in my throat, "On top of all that-there's still _**you**_. Carrots. How could I…"

I couldn't continue. Not with those two ogres gawking attentively at our every move.

"How much time do we have left?" I looked up to see Boris checking his watch, his face clouded with emotionlessness.

"We need to get moving within the hour. My sources say the ZERB is planning on another crackdown in two days...maybe less. Their security tightens by the minute-the longer we take, the slimmer our chances. You still need to get briefed and all, remember? That would take at least another day"

Overcome with difficulty, I gritted my teeth and weighed my choices, "Give me twenty minutes to say goodbye."

"Fifteen. No more." came the gruff response.

It was all I could ask for.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

"Look, Nick-if this is because you're still mad at the human for blabbering last night…" the bunny started up the moment I slammed the door. "I wasn't offended at the least-honest!"

" _ **It isn't."**_

Deep down, I could sense how cold I sounded to her-for once, it just wasn't _**me**_. But I couldn't help it: it was everything I could do to resist the urge to fall down and weep. The clock was ticking, and time wasn't on our side.

"Then why? Why are you doing this?" Judy leapt onto my rumpled bed, looking at me into the eye, "We barely got out of there in the first place-now you're going back in there to _**die**_?"

My paw flew to her shoulder, gripping her like it would be the last time I would ever touch her. Judy looked as if she wanted to rant more, but as she felt the warmth pass throughout her veins with my touch, the bunny paused for a moment and gazed at me silently, wondering what I still had to offer.

"You've always said I couldn't have a serious conversation with you for longer than five minutes, huh?" feeling for my pockets, I slouched down to her level and savoured every syllable, "Well, I guess it's time you witnessed a miracle."

"These two years working with you have flown me by, and I swear, I've savored every moment we spent as the dream team. I'm not kidding-we were living on our wildest fantasies, you and I. You were accomplishing everything you'd dreamed about, and I-well, I was just having the heck of a time hanging out with you. Everything was fine before all this turned up."

My eyebrows squeezed together, trying to soothe the headache that now rampaged my mind.

"But now...I _**miss**_ that life. Highway chases, bank robberies, you name it! Our lives have forever been altered by this, and there's no way things can return to normal anytime soon."

"I've never wanted to be the hero, Carrots, it was always you. And you've done the heck of a good job too. But just this once….I only want things to return to how they were-I really do. Portals? Humans? Guns? I want nothing to do with them. They don't belong to our lives, and I'm sure you'll agree with me."

"Then we go together. We're a _**team,**_ Nick."

I glanced up trustingly into her eyes, the ghost of a grin creeping onto my lips, "This time...I'm the only one who has the power to change anything. It's not like you've ever ventured inside-you wouldn't last a minute in that hellhole. Besides, who would be there to take care of that Fang? Who would be there to maintain connections with that shrew? Who else would report to Ol' Buffalo Butt? I'm sure he's turning the entire city over just to find you."

"And after we're done….we can live that fantasy for the rest of our ordinary little lives. Highway chasing, rescuing hostages….all to your heart's content, I swear. Why risk your tail on this silly little goose chase? You've done a mountain's worth of work for me-it's now time I returned my share. Now what say you?"

The entire world began to swirl in circles around me, and a tiny grey bundle flung herself into my chest, finally giving way her torrent of emotion within. Judy's short arms struggled to enclose around my torso, but yet she grasped on all the tighter as I held her deeper into myself, my chin tenderly resting on the very peak of her head. Flecks of her tears stained their way onto my jersey, and the gusts of her breathing gently ruffled the fur on my arm.

"Officer Wilde…." she gasped between her sobs, "You do not, I repeat, you _**do not**_ have the permission to die. You understand?"

"Roger that, Sergeant." my paw subconsciously shifted to caress her face, now streaked with streams of steady tears. Her cheeks immediately blossomed into that of a cherry, and I could sense her muscles tighten upon contact. "I still have a beautiful bunny waiting for me back home."

"Promise me." she stood on her tiptoes, her watery eyes sparkling like sapphire, "Come back after you're done."

"Geez...how cliche can you get, Carrots? You've known me for longer than that-how many times have I ever failed to come back from a mission? This is going to be as easy as pie."

I seriously doubted it.

" _ **TIME'S UP,"**_ a deafening roar announced the order, jarring us from our senses, " _ **WE NEED TO GET A MOVE ON!"**_

The two of us gazed unwillingly at the door, our arms still steadfastly chained in each other's embrace. Her heavy breathing thumped violently against my chest, as if they too were protesting aloud at the notion of letting go. I felt the urge to blurt out an answer, but for the moment we just stood motionlessly there, savoring this last instant for what could be an eternity.

" _ **THAT'S IT! WE'RE COMING IN, READY OR NOT!"**_

I _**had to**_ say something.

"Judy," before I even knew what was happening, both my paws were steadily clamped on her cheeks, the perspiration mixing with the trails of tears left behind. My voice had never been so desperate and pleading, "You remember the...the date I asked you out on just before the mission?"

She gingerly nodded, unsure of what to make of it all.

The doors slammed open, and I could feel giant paws curl around my comparatively tiny biceps. They were actually preparing to drag me away!

"It…" my lips choked on every syllable-but yet I knew it could very well be my last chance to go on, "I wasn't hoping….hoping to go as friends."

Judy's face contorted into a mixture of what resembled surprise and confusion. With a mighty grunt, I felt my paws slipping on the royally-carpeted floorboards whilst the guards nudged me away from the rabbit like a sack of potatoes. But I wasn't _**finished**_ here!

"I...I was hoping to go on a...a real date. With _**you.**_ "

"Nick, I...I…" the bunny's tone stammered, her paws slowly detaching from my hips, "I…"

 _ **Go on,**_ the voice in me urged, _**You might never get the chance to say it to me again. Think about that!**_

All the air was knocked out of my lungs as my face kissed the floor, my jawbone smarting from the sudden impact. With that going on, I might be picking out splinters from my chin for weeks to come. If I live that long, that is.

"We're terribly sorry, but we really have to go." picking up my body by the collar, Koslov half-carried, half-dragged me out to the entrance with no room for protest. "God knew how much time you lovebirds were going to waste."

I weakly swivelled my neck to face Judy's shrinking silhouette, her helpless expression fading into but a blob as they carried me further and further. Her feet were glued to the ground, too shocked by my admittance to commence any action. Not bearing to watch any longer, I couldn't help but turn back and hang my head low in despair-so it had all been for nothing. I should have expected that outcome from the start-one did not simply date a rabbit.

"Nick, I…" her voice was but a hushed whisper from the distance, muffled by the increasing marching of the bears. She still hadn't made up her mind, she still hadn't.

The front door opened for me for the very last time, and my heart grew as heavy as a stone. Could it have killed her to make an answer? Something to comfort at least comfort my soul could have been fine, couldn't it?

Who was I kidding when I said the mission was as easy as pie?


	20. The Best Drink in China

**Author's note:**

 **Greetings, and thank you for reading thus far! This chapter is rather long, so be prepared if you aren't feeling too awake! Although most of it is dialogue-related, much of the tension remains, on top of laying the groundwork for a side plot that will bring great changes to the story. Feel free to message me if you find this dull, and I'll try to raise it to higher standards given the chance. I hope you'll all enjoy it!**

 **Chapter 20: The Best Drink in China**

 _ **Date: 12th July, 1967**_

 _ **Location: Classified PLA research facility, Tongguan County (**_ _ **潼关县**_ _ **), Shaanxi Province (**_ _ **陕西省**_ _ **), the People's Republic of China**_

 _ **Time: 7:10 p.m.**_

Twilight was finally upon them.

The grizzled commander took a half-hearted glance at his watch, his forehead wrinkling in dissatisfaction. His superiors in Beijing were onto him like a pack of mad hounds, desperately scouring for experimental results that might determine if there existed any possible method of defence against the Soviet Union. His time was slowly ticking away, and he knew that perfectly well-Song was in no mood for games.

" _ **Revive the being**_. It's time." Wujiang snapped his fingers at the shrivelled body slumped over at a corner, its face muffled by a battered burlap sack.

Half a dozen guards angrily emerged from the shadows, their biceps bulging from underneath their uniforms as they hoisted the prisoner onto a bare wooden chair. Bundles of rope were strapped over his torso, holding him against the back of his seat so tightly that even the creature had difficulty inhaling. Ripping the duffel bag from its face, a strong pair of arms toppled over the bucket of water positioned directly above the beings head, its icy contents vibrating like a gunshot as they hit the floorboards of the barren holding cell.

The red fox immediately sprang into life, yelping in horror as he sensed several slimy cubes of ice making their way down the back of his neck. His chest heaved futilely against the constraints, gasping as he struggled to take in lungfuls of oxygen-to the fox's relief, there was just enough to keep him alive. His teeth couldn't help but chatter uncontrollably under the chill, and for the first time in a while, he noticed that he had been thoroughly stripped of his clothing. But for the time being, those were probably the least of his worries.

None of the men and women in the cell cared as much as to flinch while they witnessed the commotion presented to them, standing coldly by as the fox flailed with his confinement. Thoroughly soaked, the fox painfully squinted at the lone spotlight baring into his eyes, making out no more than a few idle silhouettes surveying him in the distance.

"Only the presence of Comrade Cai is required from this moment on," Song hurriedly whispered to his followers, "All of you, exit this room, please."

Bobbing their heads in submission, the party of various scientists and guards annoyedly filed out of the room, secretly urging to grab a quick snack before heading off to the day's political lecture. The gate creaked shut behind them, their heavy footfalls subsiding along the hallway. Before long, only the two Chinese soldiers were left in the cell with the fox, cautiously scrutinizing their subject in nerve-racking silence. Despite having been thoroughly briefed on its appearance, Commander Song still found himself staring at the being in utter disbelief. The way it returned his gaze….it was no different from a human's.

 _ **He is intelligent**_ , he thought to himself, _**I can see that through his eyes-he's not any other fox, that's for sure.**_

"Sir, sir?" his subordinate carefully waved his hand in front of his eyes, vainly trying to attract his attention, "I hate to interrupt you, but I believe we really should get moving on."

The commander slapped his own cheek in frustration. His age was truly getting the better of him.

"Yes...yes. Start the procedure we agreed on," Wujiang regained his senses, quickly recovering his recomposure, "You're my best English translator on the site. Give him all you've got."

"I thought you could speak English too, sir."

Wujiang waved his hand dismissively, "That's needed for another purpose. You'll see what that is by the end of the day. Just follow the instructions I gave you, and we'll have him talking within the hour."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

" _ **State your name at once,"**_

For the first time, the order was delivered in a language he understood.

The fox wearily looked up at the two aliens who were now his captors, his gaze barely hovering above their waist level. Even though he could only vaguely make out their facial appearances, it was crystal clear from their voices that one of them was well past his sixties, while the other was probably no more than thirty-five. If military installations still worked the same way they did on his world, he naturally presumed the older to be the more senior, his younger counterpart the subordinate.

"They call me Conrad," he wheezed, whispering his answer as though it was a deadly secret.

" _ **My name is Regimental Commander Song Wujiang, and I work for a branch of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. I have received orders to detain you under charges of suspected espionage against the People's Republic of China, and for the possession of potentially lethal chemicals unauthorized by the People's Government. You are expected to answer every question I ask of you truthfully, and your suggestibility with us may one day earn you your freedom. Do you understand me?"**_

"Yes, I understand you." Conrad sat up a little straighter, willing to do all it took to get all that done and over with. Words that made no sense to him spun around in his mind-espionage? People's Republic? And of all things, what did an army have to do with all this?

" _ **Throughout this interrogation, you are expected not to speak unless spoken to, and to keep your attention focused on me at all times. I repeat, you are advised to every one of my questions perfectly truthfully without any hint of fraud or deceivation. Any failure to comply with my demands will result in immediate retaliation through any means deemed necessary. Are we ready to proceed?"**_

A shiver travelled down the fox's spine at the mention of the word _**retaliation**_. Fear nibbled away at his heart, but still he found the strength to nod in response. He had nothing much to hide anyways.

" _ **What was your profession before you arrived?"**_

"I _**am**_ a scientist….one who specialized in chemical engineering, to be more exact."

" _ **Who sent you? Who do you work for? The CIA? THE KGB?"**_

"Those things don't exist where I came from." to Conrad, the names of the most feared spy agencies in the world sounded nothing more than pure gibberish, " For two long years, I used to work at the _First Institute for the Chemical Advancement of Zootopia_ ….before they kicked me out for being a fox, that was. "

Tired as he was, Conrad couldn't help but notice both of his captors sharing a long yet puzzled look.

" _ **Let me rephrase that question, fox. What is your nationality? Where do you come from?"**_

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyways."

" _ **SubjectA031, this is your last chance to reply. Fail to answer and face the consequences."**_

"Sector P, District 13A, Zootopia." He rolled his eyes at his captors, "Would you like to know my address as well?"

The older of the two leisurely strolled over to his seat, what seemed to be his paws scratching furiously at the top of his head, where the only bit of fur on his entire body seemed to protrude. Despite his age, it was plain to see that the commander was a heavyset man, his shoulders almost as broad as he was tall. With arms the size of tree stumps, Song effortlessly circled his long fingers around the fox's neck, casually leaning towards until he was no more than two inches away from Conrad's snout.

"I am on a very tight schedule, fox, and I expect no more nonsense from you than any of my troops," Song's voice was surprisingly calm, his lips relaxedly curling into a demeaning grin, " This may very well be your last chance for any leniency we offer you. With that in mind, I now ask you for the third and final time-where are you from?"

"There was never a ploy," Conrad gazed defiantly into the soldier's eyes, "I come from the suburbs of Zootopia, and that's all you need to know. It won't matter much to your country anyway."

"Oh, it doesn't?" dragging a slanted table before him, Wujiang slammed what reminded Conrad as a spherical version of a map onto its surface, and its legs creaked unstably under the force of the impact. "Now, would you care to pinpoint where this country of yours is on the globe? Zootopia, is it? I don't believe I've ever heard of it-please, enlighten me."

Serious as he seemed, the fox knew he was only fooling around with him, waiting for his prisoner to give in to his demands. Even as he spoke, Conrad could instinctively sense a hum of mockingness hanging by every syllable Song pronounced.

"Zootopia is a city-state, and I can tell you it's nowhere on this map you're showing me." he corrected, regardless of the consequences it might wrought upon him, "And I don't care what you think, Wujiang, but the situation isn't what you think it is. You are dealing with matters way beyond your comprehen…."

" _ **鸭子死了嘴还硬**_ _ **...**_ " Conrad hadn't even finished his sentence when Song's hand cracked across his face, snapping the fox's head back with the force of his blow. Black dots flew across his vision, and for a moment Conrad thought he could catch the distinct scent of bloodshed. "Bullshit! So you're expecting me to believe you come from another dimension. Who do you think you are talking to, fox? A five-year old child?"

The man was practically hyperventilating by this point, his face having blossomed into a shade of beetroot with fury. Pausing briefly to regain his breath, the soldier annoyedly wagged a finger at the prisoner, his forehead contorting into a pattern of wrinkles and creases.

" _ **我吃的盐比你吃的饭还多**_ -I was already fighting for my life when you were still in your diapers, you little shit. I've fought the Japanese, the Nationalists, and then the Americans for longer than you've even lived on this world-and now you expect me to believe this shit?"

The ghost of a smirk grew on the fox's face, "For such an experienced man, you sure don't seem to look like one, _**Wujiang**_."

" _ **Call me that again and I'll make sure that's the last name you'll ever pronounce,"**_ Song's hand rose to strike him once more, and Conrad instinctively squeezed his eyelids shut in vain. The fox fearfully burrowed his face into his chest, tightening the muscles on his bloodstained cheek to brace for the inevitable impact.

But the expected blow never arrived.

" _ **That's quite enough, Comrade Song! Please, calm down for the sake of our reputation!"**_ The younger man in the room spoke up for the first time, casually placing a calming hand on his superior's shoulder, " _ **长官，您这样做未免弄得有点过火了吧。"**_ _ **(That's quite a bit over the top, isn't it?")**_

The fox half-expected the older man to brush him off dismissively, but miraculously Song took a deep sigh and did as he was told, stepping back passively to where his lanky subordinate sat. The two soldiers now seemed to be quarrelling among themselves in their native tongue, and even though Conrad couldn't make sense of a single word they were saying, it soon became apparent from their gestures now and then that they were arguing over what to do with him. He puzzledly emerged from the castle of his own fur amongst all the confusion, and raised a curious eyebrow at this new "ally" who had just taken his side.

Why was he, of all mammals, now standing up for him?

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

After what seemed like an eternity, the younger of the two marched over to Conrad with a stool in hand, and without uttering a single word, folded it down and sat right next to him. Instantly, he felt a wave of relief wash over him: at the very least nobody was going to slap him now. The fox warily risked a glance at the commander-Song defeatedly stood by a far-flung corner of the cell, contemptuously glaring at the duo with his fists clenched. If looks could kill, Conrad reckoned that he'd be long dead by now.

"Hey, Conrad," the soldier tapped his shoulder in greeting. The fox startledly looked up from his trance-it was the first time anyone from this world had ever addressed him by his name. "Is your cheek okay? I hope that son-of-a-gun didn't hurt you badly."

Ruffling around in his shirt pocket, the young man produced a crumpled handkerchief and offered it to his prisoner. The fabric didn't exactly look hygienic, but the fox guessed it would have to do for now. Almost grimacing, Conrad haplessly beckoned at his constraints and shrugged.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" extending a rusted penknife, the man slowly began to saw apart the ropes that confined the fox's every move, "I never realized they were so strong," he admitted.

" _ **And just what the hell do you think you are doing?"**_ hollered Song from his corner, " _ **I can have you court-martialed for this!"**_

"He's not going to run away in this state, is he?" his subordinate rolled his eyes as he discarded the remnants of the rope. "Court-martial me if you want, but you're not beating him for nothing."

"Take it easy," he leaned next to the fox's ears and whispered, "He's only a newbie."

Conrad greedily sucked in lungful after lungful of air, his chest heaving in exhilaration all the while. He swore to himself he would never, ever, take breathing for granted again. Snatching the handkerchief from the man's outstretched palm, the fox cautiously dabbed at the streaks of crimson that now dotted his once handsome fur, wincing in pain as the cotton came into contact with his recent wounds.

"I'm sorry we started on the wrong foot," the soldier nodded sympathetically at him, "Can I offer you anything to make you feel more comfortable?"

"Chicken," a ravenous flash darted across Conrad's eyes, and the words just tumbled out of his lips, "Something to wash it down with."

"Sure thing-I bet a poor creature like you could use a good dinner." the answer fell like music to the fox's ears, yet he dared not believe what he had just heard, "Well you're in luck, Conrad. There's more than enough food for you in our cafeteria."

"Thank….thank you" he stammered, remembering his long-lost manners, "I don't...I don't even know your name yet."

"My superiors call me Cai Shilun, but you can call me Francis." the soldier winked friendlily and offered him another tissue, "You've sure got yourself fixed up in a pickle, kid."

"Who are you calling a kid? We're about the same age...I may even be older than you."

"Right, right…. _ **Da-ge**_ ," Francis struggled to hold back a grin, "That means older brother in my language." he explained.

Conrad's snout sniffed at the air for the distinct scent of roasted chicken, long strands of saliva irresistibly drooling down his chin. Before long, the steel gate clanked open once more with a rustling of keys, and the fox immediately stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck to get a better glance at his dinner. The commander reluctantly set the steaming plate on his table, his mouth twisted into a disapproving snarl-his stomach was growling even louder than Conrad's.

" _ **Don't even imagine we're giving you this out of kindness,"**_ Song scowled as he spun around on his heels, " _ **For all I know, this could be your last meal**_."

It was all the fox could do not to roll his eyes-by now, he had grown to ignore every insult his captor threw at him. Neglecting the utensils he had been offered with, Conrad's fangs tore into the meat like a hot knife through butter, and subconsciously smeared layers of grease onto his lips in the process. Within a minute, all that remained of the chicken were several grimy bones, every morsel of meat having been greedily consumed by the scientist. As he licked his paws in satisfaction, Conrad was well aware of the sight he was presenting-but compelled by his hunger, the fox truly couldn't have cared any less.

"What's wrong with him?" He garbled to Cai once his superior was out of earshot, "He just leapt on me the moment I showed up."

"That's why we need to work together," the soldier folded his arms tightly, "Look, I don't know why, but my partner hates you: if he takes control of your case, then quite frankly, you're nothing but dead meat."

"I'm not talking to that bastard," Conrad lowered his gaze, wiping his lips with the back of his furry paw.

"There's nothing I can do to help you if you remain silent," his tone was firmer now, the soldier's gaze locking onto his, "Do us both a favor, Conrad. Tell me why you came here, and we'll start on getting you through this case."

Yet there came no reply from the fox. As he watched on in silent protest, Shilun produced two glasses from under the desk, filling them both to the brim with a bottle of yellow, bubbly liquid that had come with the chicken. A tempting whiff of butterscotch soon dominated his senses.

"I'll let you on something as a friend. This may sound ridiculous to you, but Song thinks you're a spy-an American one, to make things worse. And you know what? Our country doesn't take kindly to espionage within its borders."

"Spy?" Conrad snorted, eyeing the drink Cai was preparing,"I'm a chemical engineer."

"We've got enough evidence. Here in China, you are guilty until proven innocent. If you don't open up about yourself, then I'm afraid I will be forced to leave you with Song, and I'm telling you-he's not going to leave any room for explanations."

"We're looking at the death penalty here." his gaze was virtually pleading with the fox to believe in him, "And Conrad, I don't want that to happen to you. So if you tell me why you came _right now_ before Song returns, I promise, we'll get you through this unscathed."

"No guarantees if you don't." the soldier finished and slid one of the glasses across the desk. A tingle ran down the fox's spine as he grasped the icy surface, droplets of condensation mixing in with the pool of sweat on his paws. "Nothing like a good ol' beer in the summer."

"What's this?" Conrad stuck his snout into the concoction, and curiously lapped at the frothy layer of foam on top with his tongue. It was nothing like he had ever tasted before-sweet on the tongue, yet bitter in the throat.

"The best drink in all of China," Cai took a sip from his own glass, "Tsingtao Beer. So, _**Da-ge,**_ are you with me, or are you with Song? Take your pick."

"I don't want that son of a gun to have any access to what I said tonight. In fact, I want him _**out of this room**_." Conrad ceded reluctantly. The less it had to do with Song, the better, "I'll tell you everything you need to no, but that's my only condition."

"Not a single word," the young man reassured.

"And as for my story….it's really long, and I doubt you'd be interested."

"Well, we've got a long night," the soldier drained whatever remained in his glass, "Whatever you've got, let's hear it-I'm waiting."

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

"My parents got a divorce three years after I was born." Conrad wrapped himself into a towel Shilun had given him, "My mother wanted nothing to do with my custody, so my dad was stuck with me for another five years."

"Go on," the soldier urged, scribbling feverishly into a notepad, "Let it all out."

"It's been so long," he shrugged, "I was born in a period when the economic reforms just started up. Thousands of mammals were needed to construct the metropolis-back in the suburbs where I was born, almost everyone left for a chance to strike rich in the city, even my own father. He left me behind with my teenage brother, and we struggled to live on whatever he sent back every month."

"They called us _**left-over kits**_ ," the fox continued with a hint of bitterness in his voice, "Apparently our family wasn't the only case."

"I thought you were a scientist. What happened?"

"I was getting to that," he paused to down another mouthful of Tsingtao, "Free education held out for another eight years before they scrapped it. Unfortunate, but at least it was enough for me to finish my schooling. I got scholarship after scholarship for biology, but it was chemistry where I truly excelled. Even my professors said I had a great chance of entering Zootopian University itself. But fate hates foxes, doesn't it?"

"I'm not sure I'm following you. What does that have to do with foxes?" Cai nibbled at the point of his pencil.

Conrad pressed his lips together into a thin line, "Zootopia is a city where animals of all shapes and sizes gather together," he spitted in contempt, "Nobody ever said they lived in harmony though. Who did they think they were fooling when they came up with that slogan?"

"Prey animals take up 90% of the population. I swear….no matter what the propaganda claims, bad blood continues to run between our species." the fox brought down his glass hard on the desk, "Predators are already discriminated against in every aspect of society. And to make matters worse-we foxes stand on the lowest rungs of the ladder among that remaining 10%."

"No surprise there, is there? Shifty and untrustable, foxes already hold something of a bad rep in the community. On top of all that, we also lack the size and weapons other predators possess at their disposal. I've been pushed around all my life, from the suburbs to the metropolis itself. What can the impoverished even do for themselves?"

"Okay...okay...I get the idea," Cai held up his arms in a protective gesture, "Foxes are the _**proletariat**_ of your society. Can we please continue where we left off?"

"When the time came to recommend a student with potential for University Scholarship, it came as no surprise to me that I was passed over for selection. Before you complain, I was the valedictorian for every class I took at the academy. I maintained a top-notch grade-point average….my conduct was superb. There was nowhere I stumbled…" he spluttered, tears finally brimming his eyes, "Months of lighting the midnight oil….all gone in vain."

"My father took a week-long break just to stand up for me. He even put on a suit for the occasion," Conrad chuckled slightly at the thought, "My family was promptly turned away without any explanation whatsoever. With my father's income, there was no way I could further my education-He was bringing home five hundred bucks _**a month.**_ How was that enough to pay for university?"

"But the worst was yet to come. My father was so furious with the authorities for rejecting me that he contracted a serious disease, one that very nearly bankrupted my family just to keep him alive. Within a week, he was fired-to his city-dwelling employer, Dad was just another of his thousands of expendable workers. With nobody in the family employed, our monetary reserves soon ran dry, and after that, what remained of our food."

His paws clutched at the towel, the onslaught of tears mixing in with the beer he had spilt. Conrad's watery eyes turned away from the soldier's, and a tightening lump formed in his throat.

"One of my old professors finally took pity on us, took us in." he massaged his temples, "He sent me off to a university on the urban fringe for my Master's-not even he had the funds for Zootopia. I barely survived in the all-prey environment, the lone predator for miles around. Well, beggars can't be choosers, can they?"

"I owe my job to the mammal. After I had graduated, he wrote one recommendation letter after the other to his friends working for the government, sparing nothing to describe the extraordinary capabilities I had demonstrated. It took two years of hard work, but finally one of his friends, a hardcore prey-supremist of all mammals, relented and offered me a job as an assistant."

"From that day on, I was a member of the _First Institute for the Chemical Advancement of Zootopia_ , one of the most prestigious research departments there was in the city." his gaze drifted far away, as though reminiscing of the pride he had acquired, be it how miniscule.

"Well, congratulations!" Shilun slapped the fox's back playfully, "You've accomplished what you'd always dreamed for. It's not easy being a scientist. Why the long face?"

"I thought so too," Conrad muttered with a furrowed brow, "What I'd never expected was that I'd be an assistant for _**five whole years**_. No matter in what manner I completed my assignments, I was just passed over for promotion after promotion without a single question asked. The rich just get richer, while the poor stay where they are." There was no hiding the contempt in his voice, "The government functioned no differently from my high school."

"I was thirty in the blink of an eye, and my father finally left us. Along with his funeral went more than half of my savings. No longer the aspiring young researcher I had once been, I then concentrated my efforts on several projects outside the Institution. For the sake of my old professor, I didn't dare quit my career-you see, it was still a useful path to get my paws on chemicals and tools I desperately needed."

"Every night, when everyone else had packed up, I would turn on the nightlight at my tiny station and work on fantastic things that my colleagues had neglected, ones that I was sure would reverse how the city functioned. My only wish was to prove to the world that foxes were no worse than the rest of them. I can't count how many times I've passed out at my workbench out of exhaustion, only to run the long run again day after day, but I persevered just in the hopes that I would one day see that dream come true."

"Did you?" the soldier raised an eyebrow at him, trying to suppress a smile, "And what did you find?"

"There was a flower that used to grow near my village." Conrad explained, "They called it the Nighthowler. It is a well-known fact that a sufficiently large dose of it could potentially lead to insanity if consumed, but those city-dwellers never bothered to deal with another crucial part of the equation."

"If delicately condensed and combined with a multitude of other chemicals, an extract from the flower could technically be refined to form a consumable source of energy. I'll skip through the scientific mumbo jumbo here, but just so you understand-the new stimulant could exponentially enhance the endurance, reaction time, and strength of an average mammal. To an economic boom that relied heavily on manual labour, the success of my theory would be invaluable."

"Our country could use that chemical, too," Cai nodded in agreement, "Good job, you! Did you manage to prove the theory to your superiors?"

"Yet I knew clearly nobody at my office would pay me any heed, and my final hope lay with the professor who had taken me in all those years ago. The boar was already a sickly old mammal by that time, but still I pleaded with him to put in a good word for me in front of my superiors. And faithfully he did. Just not in the way I had expected."

Conrad painstakingly flailed at the desk with his fists while a mystified Cai watched on, totally unsure of how to comfort the scarred being. Burying his face in the crook of his elbow, the fox gasped for air until he found the strength to carry on, albeit in a muffled voice.

"He published my thesis alright." He sniffled, "The old thing just attributed every accomplishment to his grandson! The combination of chemicals, the calculations I had so frustratedly perfected...nothing was spared. There was not a single mention of me in his report, not even in a footnote. When I apprehended him for answers, all the boar would say was that it was about time to pay back what I had owed him all along."

"Barnett became a celebrity overnight at the Institution. He was granted immediate access to all the facility had to offer, equipment and substances I could only dream of as an assistant. The cheater accomplished more in a week than what I had in five years, and all that he relied on was _**MY**_ toil and sweat. Was there any reason for me not to be enraged? Huh?"

"Tell me, so what happened next? Did you offer to work with him?" calmly, Shilun refilled his glass with another helping, "He definitely can't go on by piggybacking on your work alone."

"It was a difficult choice, but in the end I forced myself to. There was a lot more I could provide for the project, and for the moment that was still useful to him. I had come up with methods of mass-producing the stimulant, even compiling a theory of how to control the duration of its effects. It was the only way I could still redeem any face in the endeavour."

"That makes sense. Grab the opportunity and take back what was once yours."

"But guess what? The monstrosity of a boar turned down every proposal I presented him with, and gradually even I could sense my time cooperating with him was coming to an end. Barnett might have been a brilliant student, but he was a terrible leader. As his failures mounted, he lashed out against his team and me in particular, whom he saw as a thorn by his side. To his eyes, I was not an eager helper in his project, but a potential rival who threatened to claim all his work for my own."

"One midnight after work, I was summoned to his office without any former warning, and my worst fears finally came true. Not bothering to utter a single word, the boar ushered a thick envelope into my paw, beckoning with his hoof that I was to scram out of his room. There was no question as to what was inside the envelope."

"And at that moment," he huddled himself further into the towel, "I lost it."

"Don't tell me you did anything illegal."

"You can't blame me, can you?" Conrad threw up his arms in exasperation, "I may be small even for a fox, but a decade of hard labour to raise money for school had hardened me into what I am. Look, something just got hold of me back there, something I couldn't control. Punch after punch just plummeted into his snout. Barnett was tackled to the ground before the boar even knew what had hit him, and the next thing I knew, a growing pool of blood was dissipating into the carpet from the back of his head."

"Turned out Barnett had knocked his brains out against a table edge when he took the fall." his shoulders sagged in exhaustion, "For a minute I just stood there in my bloodstained suit, watching idly as the boar writhed haplessly beneath me. It was only after his face had bled pale that what I had done hit home, but by then there was nothing I could do to save him."

Conrad shakily turned his paws over, as if inspecting them for any remaining stains of blood.

"Barnett was an evil mammal, but I had never wanted him to transform me into a murderer," his voice stammered, " _ **They had no classification of murder for us predators in the law, no heat-of-passion, no mammal-slaughter**_. The way I saw it, there was no running away from the death penalty."

"I hijacked Barnett's van and drove back to where I had come from, the second-rate cottage which I had shared with my brother for over a decade. By the time I got back, the windows were drawn tight, the lamps long since extinguished. Which was just as well-I had no intention for him to see me in this state. Despite being a tailor, it was plain to see he had made more of a name for himself than I ever did."

"Ditching the boar's van by the side of a highway, I hiked my way up to the dunes that surrounded our community, ones that I had often explored as a child. There were huge chain-link fences with bold signs that warned us not to approach, but fortunately it was evident they had seen better days. Digging beneath them with my paws, I was barely able to wiggle my way through the gap. The area hadn't been trespassed in decades."

"You were going into hiding?" spluttered Cai, "Gosh, there had to be better places than the countryside, hadn't there?"

"No-I'd had enough of running and hiding for a lifetime. Frankly speaking, I went there with the expectation that I would never again emerge alive. A small dose of Nighthowler would already be lethal for a fox my size-you should understand why I chose to go down that path."

"I chose a cosy cave that dotted the countryside, and with my torch guiding the way, I stumbled inside in search for a good spot to spend my final moments. The corridor was narrower than I had thought, windily stretching down for hundreds of feet. By the time I had made it down the chute, my filthy suit was splattered with sweat, and of all things I was struggling to inhale. There was something wrong with the air, but I knew it wouldn't affect me for long. Soon the discomfort would be over."

"I wouldn't be sitting here and talking with you if you really had gone ahead with that."

"My battery died just as I was measuring the lethal dosage. At first I fumbled around futilely for my syringe, but from then on it didn't take long for me to lose conscious. From what, I guess I will never find out. There was definitely something wrong down there, but I can't put my paw on it."

"I woke up in a lush green wood a few miles away from here, my only remaining possession being a specimen of the Nighthowler. It took me three days to convince myself I wasn't in purgatory, mainly because of the gnawing hunger that threatened to destroy me from the inside. For the first week I was forced to scavenge for weeds in the fields, but towards the end I got smarter and chased for chickens instead. Just in case you were wondering, that was how I was caught, and the rest is history."

"So don't try to threaten me with death." he muttered, emptying the contents of his glass, 'I wouldn't care less."

Tidying up his notes, Cai stood up and cast a pitiful glance at his prisoner. The soldier had a long night ahead of him, and on top of all that he still had a week's worth of explaining to conduct with Song. Shilun normally hated lying to those who trusted him, but he understood his actions were only for the fox's good. There _**had**_ to be a way the wretch could prove useful to the People's Republic.

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

"Any luck?"

Back in his office, the commander turned his expectant gaze at Cai, handing him a steaming mug of _**Puli**_ to cope with the effects of the beer. Utterly exhausted, Shilun dejectedly lay on the sofa in Song's office, the folder he had recently compiled having been tossed onto his superior's desk.

"That was some good acting you showed back there," Cai admitted, "You got him fooled all right-Conrad hated your guts."

"The experienced interrogator never loses his temper before his suspect." Wujiang joined his subordinate on the couch, "If you rough him up a bit and then shower him with kindness, most people are willing to talk after that. So, did he speak within the hour, or did he not?"

"It's all included in the datafile. Whether you believe it or not is another matter. The story can be read anytime you want-I came here to tell you something else."

"The fox," he continued despite Song's icy stare, "Cannot possibly be an agent."

The commander clasped his hands together in disappointment, "Young people like you always jump to conclusions too rashly. How did you even survive Chosin Reservoir seventeen years ago?"

"I've confirmed Conrad doesn't know Russian-I made use of the _**Stroop Effect.**_ The fox was asked to name colored Cyrillic words that stood for colors, and the process was much faster than when he was asked to name colored English ones. I naturally presumed he could not be working for the KGB."

"You know very well our enemies extend far beyond the Soviet Union."

"A professional agent would not _**starve**_ in the wild. He would have been briefed on where to go, what to do. Conrad here survived on weeds for an entire week, and the forensics team double-checked that for me when they examined his faeces. Do I even need to mention the fact that he was helplessly stumbling around in the countryside before we found him? An experienced spy would have made his way to our compound under our noses long ago."

"The fox was hovering on the brink of dehydration when we found him. Conrad was carrying nothing more than a flower that grew near his hometown, not even a single weapon or tool. You have decades of experience in anti-espionage, Song, you tell me. Would a professional agent turn up like this?"

"What point are you trying to prove here?"

"How long do you think will take us to perfect the chemical we found on him?" Cai demanded, "Total War with the Soviet Revisionists and the American Imperialists has never been so imminent. Any delay in weaponry development could cost us the existence of our country!"

"I'll admit, it's taking longer than we expected." Wujiang held up his hands in surrender, "I've talked with the team-the flower isn't like anything that grows in China, and it took us weeks just to identify its chemical components. They still haven't come up with a way to extract its useful properties, let alone condense it."

"I'm not surprised," his subordinate blurted, "It took Conrad five whole years just to recognize the potential this chemical holds, even more to finalize the combinations that would enhance it. Do you think we could really afford time like that?"

"I...I, I mean..." for once, even the grizzled veteran was lost for words, "There's still a lot we haven't yet made sure."

"You said it for yourself a million times: China has no time for games. If war really breaks out, do you think we could bear this responsibility?" Cai had never dared to speak out against his boss like this ever before-a new sense of exhilaration filled his veins, "Wake up."

"So what do you suggest I do, huh?" Song slapped his hand against the leather of the sofa, "The team is doing everything they can to decode the chemical. I have all the funding we need from the National Council-it won't take long for us to reproduce it."

"There's no need for all this blatant time-wasting," the soldier stood to his full height and towered over his superior, "All the groundbreaking work has already been done for us. We just need to start off from there."

"The fox over there has never been valued all his life. His hard work lies idly there, urging for us to take a look at it." with a shaky finger, Cai pointed in the direction of the fox's cell, "Conrad has the right amount of bitterness within him, the kind that can transform into limitless energy once given the correct opportunity. If we give him a chance to prove his worth, that may be just what he needs to excel in our cause. We need every talent we have to defend the revolution!"

" **You know perfectly what that sort of power could potentially behold."** he finished.

Bursts of rapid knocking emanated from the office door, and Song's aide rushed in with a stack of papers tucked beneath his arm, snapping off a smart salute at the commander seated on the couch.

"Sir, the Shaanxi People's Office for Air Defence just sent a urgent telegram to the facility: Commissioner Huang reports no indications of enemy aircraft intruding Shaanxi Airspace for the past six months. All known intrusions occurred near the coast in Fujian Province, and no parachute deployment was detected."

"Were there any anomalies recorded by the Type 408 Radar located at Xi'an? That's the most advanced model we've got!"

"Negative, sir. According to the Commissioner, the Type 408 has the ability to track down every single type of American or Soviet spy plane. There has been nothing for the past six months."

Not bothering to answer his guard, Song turned his back on the door and took a deep breath. Beside him, he thought he could hear Shilun snigger bemusedly. Wujiang subconsciously clenched his hands into fists, but for the sake of his reputation he chose to ignore the provokation. The commander knew when he had been defeated.

"Cai," he began, beckoning at his subordinate to come closer, "Carry out what I tell you immediately."

"Sir?" as if reading his mind, Cai's lips formed a tiny smile. "I'm always ready."

"Prepare a linen bed and blanket for the creature. Make sure he gets a good night of sleep in an air-conditioned room. I will meet with him first thing tomorrow."

The soldier didn't need to be told twice.


	21. A Streak of Polar Bear Fur

**Chapter 21: A Streak of Polar Bear Fur**

 _ **Year:**_

 _ **Zootopia P.E. 2064**_

 _ **Earth A.D. 2018**_

 _ **Location: Chief Bogo's Office, ZPD Headquarters, Precinct 1, Zootopia**_

 _ **Time: 1:57 pm**_

 _ **Authors note: I wish to express my most sincere thanks here to Samohaya, a reader who also hails from Hong Kong, China. He has contributed to completing valuable sections of the chapter, as well as a multitude of suggestions I could work with on the story.**_

 _ **His feedback has changed the way this story is headed, and so can yours. If you have anything to express, please feel free to shoot me a PM here on FFN. I'd be more than happy to answer and put them into serious consideration.**_

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The immense buffalo gazed expectantly at the telephone balanced so delicately on the edge of his desk, subconsciously clenching his hooves until they turned white from the pressure alone. Save for one typed-up note he had received mere hours earlier, Chief Bogo had no other inkling whatsoever regarding the whereabouts of the ZPD's finest officers. A million wrinkles dotted his forehead as the commander's mind flew back to the last conversation he had had with Hopps, under circumstances so dire that even he himself had been in doubt of their safety. If anything fatal, God forbid, had really been inflicted upon the two….how was he going to explain everything to the press?

" _ **Orders from….mayor...the top….abort mission! Return to HQ immediately! I repeat, abort mission!"**_ Even after an ordeal that was stressful enough to make days seem like weeks, his final instructions to the bunny remained crystal clear to the Chief's memory. It had been three whole days since their last transmission, and neither Hopps or Wilde had shown up for duty, or at least had made a call to explain their absence-no prizes for guessing whether the team had chosen to follow his orders or not.

So far, the paper slip was the buffalo's only clue-Team morale had been dropping like a stone, and it didn't take a genius to figure out it wasn't going to take forever for anyone to see through his lies. If his memory still hadn't deceived him, he recalled that Lieutenant Hopps had only taken four days off throughout her 2 years of continuous service, and _those_ had lasted for barely twenty four hours each. Whatever had happened to her out in the wilderness, Bogo presumed it would be safe to rule out sickness as a possible cause; Wilde, as rambunctious as he is, would definitely not even think of toying with his _**dear**_ partner's health and safety.

—Which brought him to an even worse question: Where is Hopps' partner? Did he not go out and investigate with her? Had he, somehow, snuck out on her or got caught together in an accident or got kidnapped by some shady cabal or even harmed or maimed or— _No, Adrian, focus on the facts!_

Bogo, the experienced and sublime leader he is, usually refrained from poking too much into his subordinates' _Modus Operandi_ so long as they stayed within the grounds of reason and law, especially when dealing with Hopps and Wilde, who would crack more cases than half of the Precinct combined annually in just three months by rather… interesting methods; but this sudden silence from the "Terrible Twos" is well on its way to becoming something more than worrying.

 _Not now, Adrian. Not in front of those who need your guidance._

Wiping away the profuse amount of perspiration accumulated on his horns and locking his office door, the Chief groped around in his breast pocket for a photocopy of the slip, the original having been scanned thoroughly by the forensics department. Their test results had baffled the entire ZPD-whoever typed it up had to have a full decades worth of experience of fooling the Force. No pawprints, no scents, no handwriting….it was as if the information had popped into their world out of nowhere.

" _ **Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are secure under our care. Any attempt to extract them may prove fatal for all parties involved."**_

Who were they? And why did he even have a reason to trust their words? The buffalo's enemies were scattered throughout all four corners of Zootopia, and he was sure not less than one or two of them would be more than willing to kidnap those under his command just to bring him to his knees. The Creators, the Lemming Brothers…..among all those other organizations he had no name for, where should he even begin?

Before Chief Bogo had even come up with an answer reasonable enough for himself to believe in, a sudden succession of shrill rings cut through his office as would a hot knife through butter. The paper slip neglected for the moment, the buffalo's hooves found their way around the receiver in what took less than a split second, its plastic cover already covered in a layer of grease from his sweat.

" _ **Hopps? Wilde?"**_ the commander barked exhaustedly into the device, " _ **Do you read me?**_

"It's been a while, hasn't it? _Adrian…._ " the voice from the other end was almost mocking in comparison.

Bogo gritted his teeth, resisting the temptation to smash his entire set against the floor. It wouldn't even be the first time he did, anyways.

"You better stow the shit and cut to the chase. Two of my best officers are MIA-Missing-in-action, if you're retarded enough not to know what that means." Adrian lashed out against his superior.

"I was aware of that," he dismissed casually, "Much earlier than you or any of your lankies were, as a matter of fact."

"If you don't tell me what you want, I swear I'm going to hang up in five seconds." Bogo threatened. The Chief had faced much worse on the streets when he was younger-this insolent mammal was practically nothing in his face.

"You understand very well what their disappearance means to you. I assume you've received your share of rumours over at the office."

And he wasn't wrong. Clawhauser, for one, the normally cheerful and amiable face of the Precinct didn't gulp anything more than half a box of donuts for the _**last three days combined**_ , citing "health concerns". Yet, Bogo became the Chief for innumerable reasons, and his ability to read between the lines was but one of many. Even Wolford, the resident undercover go-to officer of the Precinct was visibly gloomy— something you don't get daily from the stoic wolf— due to Wilde's disappearance, no matter how many pranks were exchanged or how childish the canine officers' banter appeared to the Chief. Hell, maybe the pranks and banter were precisely why Wolford and Wilde were best pals, only bested by Hopps. That much was clear.

Sadly, the prevailing depression and fear for the Terrible Twos was slightly clearer for all officers under Chief Adrian Bogo.

Fear, as Bogo knew it since day one on the job, is a paradoxical thing- all emotions are-: Fear, left to spread and ferment will inevitably lead to unrest and disorder, as the riots in September 2014 have attested; yet, fear suppressed and unvoiced would eventually lead to the same thing in the end, perhaps even quicker.

The worst part? He had to be the one presiding over this shitstorm while being able to do exactly _**nothing**_ to soothe down the people out of this very door- _**HIS people**_!

"Stop telling me things I already know," the Chief impatiently snapped. Though his tone was no less gruffer than before, Bogo couldn't help but wonder at the back of his mind where the conversation might possibly lead to. "The whereabouts of my officers are none of your fucking business anyway."

"Are you sure it's not?" it was as if his superior enjoyed toying with him, "As the _Commissioner of the Security Council of the Zootopian Energy Research Bureau_ , I assure you, their disappearance has everything to do with us."

Bogo winced frustratedly, brows furrowed tight with pain. "Not you _freaks_ again." he muttered reluctantly into the receiver. What right did they have to infringe upon his work? They'd been acting like they owned the entire city these days, and their reputation amongst the government wasn't exactly looking up for that very reason.

"I'd refrain from calling the ZERB 'freaks', if I were you. And for your information, Officers Hopps and Wilde were found accessing ZERB property without prior authorization, only to flee when apprehended by our security detail. All that was only three days ago. I presume that date corresponds directly with their time of disappearance?"

"It must have been some form of miscommunication…." he stuttered.

"I thought I'd entrusted you with the task of explaining what 'clearance' was to those two. Have you already forgotten so soon?" he concluded accusingly.

"If you think I'm actually scared at the slightest, then you're in for a fucking surprise." the buffalo reasserted his authority, "I'm the _Chief_ of the entire goddamn Police Department, for God's sakes, and I take orders from nobody, not even from stuck-up snobs in the government like yourself." Bogo snorted in disgust, preparing to hang up for once and for all.

"You sure do enjoy a good ol' Cham-bear-tin '45 over the weekends, don't you? One of the most priced products the vineyards out in Bunnyburrow have to offer. Maybe even a second bottle over supper, if you're in the mood of course…."

"I do beg your pardon?" his trembling hooves, which had been hovering dangerously close to the telephone's base, automatically retracted until it returned to his earside. "What are you even implying with this?"

"If I recall correctly, that lovely wife of yours prefers something heavier, doesn't she? I know she's been going through hard times. A Cosmopolitan or two every night, perhaps? Concocted with the finest vodka, imported directly from the breweries of Tundratown..." his tone was silky and smooth, the syllables prancing around in Bogo's eardrums.

"Don't you dare touch that girl of mine!" for the first time, the Chief raised his voice and hollered into the handset, "May I remind you, I have absolutely _**NO IDEA**_ at what you're talking about."

"Let's face it, Adrian. Alcohol is not a problem-it never has been one. But here comes the real question: how could you even afford that amount of liquor in the first place?"

"I work hard at my job, and I parlay my savings for that enjoyment. What did you even expect?" Bogo rushed to defend his honor, but his tongue couldn't help but tie itself up as he did so.

"I've had my experience in dealing with wines across the city. You aren't fooling anyone, Adrian-the alcohol you consume in a week would take up half of your month's salary. With that rate of expenditure it's a surprise you have any money left, let alone parlay any _savings_." he put an extra emphasis on the final word.

"Call. Me. Chief. Bogo." the buffalo hissed out every word, ""Every mammal needs his release. A little alcohol can't do much harm to anyone."

"A 'little' alcohol, one says. Well, guess what the citizens of Zootopia would have to say when they find out their dear Police Chief is, _gasp,_ a raging alcoholic?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about. There's a fine line between alcohol consumption and abuse."

"Where did you get all that money from, _Chief Bogo?_ Are you in debt? Corruption, even? I'm confident more than a criminal or two would love to be the one that deals with you. Either way, I don't want to be the one to find out-but I tell you, my associates in the Independent Commission Against Corruption are more than willing to dig into your past. My, and what a _juicy_ one that is!"

"Then you'll find nothing in my record. Absolutely nothing."

"Oh right, I nearly forgot-you wouldn't have survived for so long if you had no idea whatsoever how to cover your own tracks. Remember those tapes? I have to admit, you did a _brilliant_ job in shushing down the whole scandal. Witnesses, abortions, you did everything you could. But just _one_ loophole could define the end of you."

"Now, how would you feel if every single resident of this city gets a copy of those? It could happen tonight, it could happen anytime I wish. I hate to break this to you, but nothing's under your jurisdiction anymore. And once those tapes are out….boom, the ICAC will be onto you like a pack of mad hounds."

"So...is it the alcohol, or the tapes? Your call, _Chief."_

"What….what do you want from me?" for once, even Bogo found himself lost for words. "You've got the entire government on your side...why the ZPD?"

"The government needs to scout out Hopps and Wilde even more urgently than you do. They've illegally trespassed upon and extracted ZERB property, and under Section 3A of the Energy Bureau Act, are thus liable to _our_ search and interrogation. I presume you wouldn't want to work against the rules."

"All questioning will be conducted by the ZPD, and the rest will promptly be seen to by the Department of Justice. None of it has got to do with the ZERB at all." the buffalo retorted angrily, "Whose rules are you referring to?"

"Ours. The Act extends to all citizens registered with Zootopian citizenship, and not even members of the Zootopian Police may be exempted. _Your_ officers have committed a crime whilst upon our territory, and thus they will be judged according to _our_ rules. Is that clear?"

"I'll gladly take these cases to the Courts, thank you."

"The alcohol, or the tapes?"

" _ **Fuck. You."**_ the Chief was now making no effort whatsoever to conceal his anger, "Sure. You want to find both of the officers, go ahead if you must. What does this have to do with me?"

"The ZERB can't risk alerting its presence to the public," the mammal on the other end sighed regretfully, "Not that we have a large enough force anyway. That's where the police came into play."

"You want us to search for Hopps and Wilde? I hate to tell you this, but a selected team of our finest officers is already hard at work on cracking the case, of which you have no business in. The ZPD's already doing what it can, so it would be best if you _**HUNG. UP. NOW.**_ " frankly speaking, Bogo was not in the mood to converse with _anyone_.

"That's not enough. I want most, if not all of your officers on this one."

" _ **Are you insane**_? What about patrolling the streets? What about bank robberies? We don't just sit around chewing on jelly doughnuts all day!" Incredulous, the commander wondered if his superior had finally lost his mind.

"Maintain a skeleton crew until the day they are found. That shouldn't take very long, given your expertise in such cases. The little granny with the stolen purse can wait till then." he dismissed annoyedly, his tone pointedly sharper, "The property they have extracted from our premises may cause significant damage if left unattended-It might very well mean the end of the city as well know it."

"You haven't even put the morale of our team into consideration. If I tell them all of a sudden that two of our best officers are Missing-in-Action, God knows how nuts that would drive them?"

"Give them a common goal to strive for, one to ignite the fuel within them." reasoned his boss, "Create a cover story for their disappearance-it's not like the police will remember it once they scout them out. Just mention Officers Hopps and Wilde have been held hostage by a gang of terrorists that threaten the very well-being of Zootopia. That ought to get 'em crackin'."

"I want them to conduct a fingertip search throughout every single nook and cranny within the city. I don't care if they are detectives or undercovers, just send whoever you've got on your hooves. Order your subordinates in the suburbs to follow your lead-sweep every desert and every moor with no exceptions. Employ whatever means deemed necessary until those two are secured-I'll make sure nobody in the government bats an eyelid. And once they're apprehended, I'll expect them both to be relegated immediately under the custody of ZERB."

"Meanwhile you, _Adrian_ , are going to be kept very busy."

"Now what? I seriously don't hope you want to drag me into another one of your mad frays." the words simply flew out of his lips without permission.

" _You_ are going to hold a press conference this very afternoon. Invite every Platform that exists in the city-the more coverage this story gets, the sooner we'll find those two."

"Appeal to the public for assistance," he continued, "Many are still thankful of the way Judy Hopps saved our skins two years ago, and Gosh, they do let it show. I bet before long, the entire streets will be crawling with mammals ready to pounce on Judy Hopps the moment she shows her cute fuzzy face."

"You'll regret calling her cute one day." an infuriated Adrian hissed through his gritted teeth, but his boss deliberately took no notice at his demonstration of fury.

"That remains to be seen. I'll be tuning in onto ZNN at exactly 4 pm today, and if I don't see your face plastered on all the channels by then, shit's going to hit the fan. I mean it."

Chief Bogo deftly ripped out the cord of his landline, hurling it against a bookshelf stacked to the brim with obligatory law books. He wasn't going to be receiving any calls any time soon, but that didn't mean he could finally get some peace and quiet of his own. For the sake of his reputation, the commander was forced to turn his back against his own officers, some of whom he had trusted like family.

"Clawhauser?" he flicked his backup wireless into life, "Get me the media relations team. Tell them to prep me for a…."

"Sir, Sir!" he didn't even have a chance to finish his order when a panting cheetah nearly knocked down his door in a hurry, "You've got to hear this!"

"If it's not anything about Hopps, I'm not having it."

"It's the paper slip we've received. Remember how Forensics insisted there wasn't a single clue we could locate on that five inches of parchment?"

"Sergeant, tell me things I don't know already." Bogo couldn't believe he had spouted the sentence twice in only half a day. "I've got a press conference to attend. My reputation's on the line."

"Five minutes of your time," begged Benjamin, painfully bending his knees to catch his breath, "Well, Forensics found something else, something they'd never expected in a million years."

"Go on?" urged the buffalo.

"The paper slip came enveloped in a manila folder. Initially some bird-brain was smart enough to discard it in favor of the slip, but someone else eventually noticed it when the paper slip had been proven to be clean. Once they finally fished it out of the dumpster, they were in for the shock of their lives!"

"Inside the manila folder…" Benjamin paused briefly, as if to build up untimely suspense, "They located a single streak of polar bear fur. It isn't much, but at least we'll know where to begin. Right, Chief? Chief?."

Chief Bogo ignored the flabbergasted face on his employee and continued to stare off into space, undoubtedly submerged in deep thought. He knew Judy Hopps well enough over the years that she had multiple contacts throughout the city, and shady ones were certainly no exception-Only one gang in all of Zootopia dared employ polar bears as hitmen. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had wiped clean the jam-cams the night they had fled from the ZERB.

Finding Hopps had suddenly become much, much easier.


End file.
